Celebrity Status
by Einna Fletcher
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura's lives revolve around music, and the craziness that comes with fame. Romance is the last thing they want to deal with. The problem: they can't seem to stay away from each other. AU
1. Let the Flames Begin

The band could hear the sound of the crowd as they unloaded their equipment behind the huge stage. They had just arrived, and Sasuke had his guitar case slung over one shoulder. The audience was cheering and hyped; it sounded like they were between acts.

"Who's playing before us?" Sasuke asked Naruto (drummer and close friend of a reluctant Sasuke), frowning. He had no idea what the lineup was, only that their band was closing the show. It was some sort of spur of the moment concert, in Ishi's outdoor arena, and they were stopping in before they continued on to the Ame Music Festival the following week. _Just show up at a few shows, get the crowd excited for next week_, their manager had said.

"Sakura Haruno." Naruto grinned widely.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed immediately. "You've got to be kidding me."

Sakura Haruno was quickly rising to fame as the New Thing. Despite being in the music business, Sasuke had never met her, and preferred to keep it that way. Just the fact that she, an indie-ish pop star (and typical one-hit wonder), was playing before _their_ band, was absurd.

The only reason Sasuke had agreed to the last minute show was because it wasn't a pop concert, but apparently that had been a lie.

"Why are you so disappointed?" Kiba, the band's bassist, looked at Sasuke incredulously. "She's amazing! She'll get us so much press."

"We don't need press. And her stuff is completely different from ours. It's a joke." Sasuke said through gritted teeth. Press, from Sakura Haruno? She'd need press from _them_, not the other way around. She wasn't even close to their level, as far as fame and respect went. Not to mention musical quality.

Actually, he'd never really listened to any of her stuff, besides the one or two songs they played nonstop on the radio. But that was irrelevant.

"Oh, come on, teme, just play along for once! You know she's gorgeous..." Naruto wiggled his eyebrows.

"You have a girlfriend." Sasuke said. Naruto was dating Hinata Hyuga, an incredibly nice sound technician.

"But _you_ don't." Naruto grinned and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. "Maybe she's your type."

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke glared at Naruto. "And she's definitely not my type." There was no way.

* * *

Their band watched her come onstage five minutes later, clustered by their equipment offstage. Sasuke had seen Sakura Haruno's face on plenty of billboards, he knew she was pretty, but she was about a hundred times prettier in person, if that was possible (it would be stupid to disagree with that). She was wearing a tight black dress, jean jacket, and heels; her pink hair was loose and wavy. The crowd went wild when she appeared; Sasuke would've been more surprised if he didn't know what hordes of teenage girls were like at concerts.

The rest of Sasuke's bandmates watched her with gaping mouths. _Idiots_. Sasuke just scowled at them, at then at Sakura Haruno. He was determined to be unimpressed.

"Hi, everyone," Sakura Haruno said, giving the crowd a smile that made them go crazy. So she was going for the modest appearance, was she? "I'm gonna start it off fast." She gave the signal to the guys in the band behind her and then she started to sing.

Her foot tapped the beat and she took the microphone in one hand, smiling at the audience.

Well, she could sing. Sasuke wished he could deny it, but it wasn't autotune that gave her voice that sound. She had a powerful voice, not really a belter but incredibly warm. He couldn't help being drawn into it, even though she was probably insufferable in real life. She had pink hair, for God's sake.

Someone handed her a guitar for the last song. She tuned it standing on the stage in front of everyone, and Sasuke was surprised. "My last song's a little slower." She said. "You guys might have heard it before, it's called 'Numb.'" There were cheers.

She started strumming the guitar and Sasuke realized she knew exactly what she was doing.

Singing acoustic, her voice still had the warm quality, but it also went low and raspy. And it was dead sexy. Her fingers moved easily over the guitar, picking out complex rhythms, and Sasuke couldn't help raising his eyebrows. It was going against everything he'd decided, but he was slightly impressed (and extremely angry at himself for it).

When she finished, there were deafening cheers and applause that went on forever. She smiled to the crowd. "I'm going to be at the Ame Bowl on June 25th, so hopefully I'll see some of you there. Thanks, everyone!" She waved and then walked offstage.

"Holy shit." Kiba said.

The rest of the band seemed to be thinking the same thing. Everyone's mouths were open. Sasuke just rolled his eyes. He'd never, not in a million years, admit that Sakura Haruno was ridiculously good.

"You guys are idiots." Sasuke said instead. "Come on."

The speakers blasted one of their songs to the audience as a huge curtain came down, and the technicians pulled off Sakura Haruno's stuff while the band set up their own equipment. Sasuke took out his old guitar (he wouldn't let anyone else touch it, let alone tune it for him) and tuned it quickly, then pulled the battered strap over his head. Everyone else was situated, and Shikamaru nodded to the person standing by offstage with a headset. The music on the speakers stopped abruptly.

"And now…" The announcer's voice boomed over the speakers. "Give it up for FIRESTYLE!"

The crowd went crazy. The curtains opened and they launched into the opening notes of 'Explosive' to huge applause. Sasuke smirked as his fingers moved effortlessly over the chords, ripping up the solo halfway through the song.

* * *

Shikamaru's lazy voice finished the final notes of their last song, and Sasuke was satisfied that they'd at least caught up the crowd as much as Sakura Haruno had, if not more (they were Firestyle, after all).

But when the four of them got offstage, Sasuke was shocked to see Sakura Haruno was still there. He'd expected her to have been shuttled off to her luxury tour bus by now, surrounded by a mass of assistants.

"You guys were great," she said. "I'm Sakura Haruno, by the way." She held out a hand with a smile and Naruto ran up to shake it enthusiastically.

"It's so good to meet you, Sakura!" He said excitedly. "You were awesome!"

"Oh, God, thanks." She smiled, and Sasuke was annoyed by how sincere it was. _What's she playing at?_

"Hey," Kiba said, coming up to get his own handshake. "I'm Kiba. Nice to meet you, babe."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Ignore him." Shikamaru said with a sigh. "I'm Shikamaru. You were really good just now."

"Thanks. That really means a lot, coming from you guys." She was blushing slightly.

Suddenly, everyone looked expectantly at Sasuke. "You still haven't introduced yourself, teme." Naruto said.

She looked at him, eyebrows raised slightly. "I'm Sasuke." He said in a low voice, frowning at her.

"Pleasure," Sakura Haruno said. Her eyes were laughing and she was nothing like he'd expected. She was relatively short, and had to look up at him, but he could see that he didn't intimidate her at all. It was strange...And infuriating to no end.

"Are you going to the Ame Festival, Sakura?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Yep! I'm playing the main stage for the first time, I'm really excited." She said.

"Oh, wow, awesome!" Naruto said. "Congrats."

"Thanks. You guys are going to be there too, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Shikamaru said with a yawn. "We'll make an appearance."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. They were headlining, like they'd done for the past two years.

She grinned. "Right. Well, I should get back, I've got another concert tonight."

"Really? Where?" Naruto asked.

"An auditorium in the city." Sakura said. "Eight to nine."

"What're you doing afterward?" Naruto asked her with a grin.

"Um…Nothing, I don't think. I'm leaving for Ame in the morning."

"Us too. We're staying at the hotel uptown." Naruto said. "You should come out to the club with us tonight."

"Really?" She asked, looking surprised.

"Duh! You're awesome." Kiba said with a grin.

"You've known me for five minutes." Sakura said.

Sasuke almost smirked, and then realized what he was doing. He frowned.

"Come on, it'll be fun! We'll show you the best spots!" Naruto said.

Sakura smiled. "In that case…Okay. Sounds like fun."

"We'll meet you at ten!" Naruto gave her the address.

"Cool, I'll see you then. It was nice to meet you guys." Sakura said with a smile before going to meet her entourage waiting by the back entrance. They disappeared outside.

"She is _smoking_." Kiba said.

Sasuke looked at him with narrowed eyes, annoyed for some reason even though Kiba was like this all the time.

"Why'd you invite her out, dobe?" Sasuke asked, irritated.

"Because she's super nice! And she's gorgeous and really cool." Naruto said. "Why do you hate her so much?"

"I don't hate her." Sasuke muttered. "But she's got pink hair. She's a pop singer."

"No she's not!" Naruto said. "Didn't you hear her set?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Come on, teme, it'll be fun!"

Sasuke sighed. 'Fun' wasn't the word he would've used.

* * *

**A/N: **_I've been writing bits of this over a long period of time just because it always puts me in a good mood (and I couldn't resist doing a musician AU). I figured I'd post the first chapter. Be warned it's ridiculous and full of drama and smut and celebrity stuff. But it's Sasuke and Sakura so who cares. _

_Also since this is a music-centric story, every chapter will be a different song title (crossing my fingers that doesn't violate some copyright thing?). For the most part it'll be songs that I actually like, so check them out if you want; my music taste is sort of all over the place, so should be interesting. Anyway, enjoy :) _


	2. Sparks Will Fly

After meeting outside later that night, the five of them entered the club together. It was one of the places they always went when they were in Ishi, a warehouse type building where it was easy to get lost in the crowd. Sasuke doubted anyone would recognize them in the dim light, but then again…They'd just performed that afternoon.

In the beginning, around two years ago now, Sasuke had underestimated how popular the band was. And then suddenly everything had blown up. The paparazzi had started showing up in more and more places and he continuously got recognized when he was out in public. That had resulted in him rarely going out, preferring to stay as far away as possible from flashing lights and screams. But when they were on tour, it was much harder to avoid, and none of the other guys in the band were nearly as opposed to it as he was.

So Sasuke rarely went out to clubs, even though people were usually too out of it to realize who you were. But the band went out sometimes after shows, and he always ended up surrounded by girls. He'd only come tonight because he wanted a drink and they didn't have any booze on the bus. Plus Naruto wouldn't take no for an answer.

He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, his normal uniform (though he did have enough sense to change from his sweaty concert clothes).

The club was dark and smoky; the normal EDM was blasting and the room was hot and crowded.

Sasuke sat down at the bar and got a beer. Sakura Haruno sat down next to him.

She looked gorgeous, and he couldn't even pretend to deny it. She was wearing a navy blue dress, towering black heels, and dark eye makeup. Sasuke thought with vague irritation that she was way too pretty for her own good.

She ordered a shot, and Sasuke looked at her in surprise.

"I've got a higher tolerance than it looks like." She said dryly, rolling her eyes at him. Clearly she'd known exactly what he was thinking: a small, pink-haired girl would never be able to hold her liquor.

But she downed the shot like a pro when the bartender gave it to her. She flashed a smile at Sasuke and suddenly he had the urge to get one himself.

"My round." Sasuke said.

She raised her eyebrows with a grin. "Okay."

He got two shots for both of them and they drank them at the same time.

"Wow." She swallowed again and put her glass down.

Sasuke smirked. "Too much?"

She just rolled her eyes. "Look, just keep your stupid biases. I'm not going to get wasted to prove a point."

"Tch." Sasuke almost laughed, which immediately made him irritated with himself. He wasn't supposed to find Sakura Haruno funny. Or remotely attractive. But the latter was already out the window.

"So are you always an arrogant asshole?" She asked him, eyebrows raised. Her eyes were an unusually bright green; it hadn't been exaggerated by the billboards and magazine spreads. But maybe it was because he was already starting feeling the effects of the alcohol. The music was loud and he didn't know if he was thinking straight.

Sasuke shrugged.

She laughed. "That's what I thought."

"Right." He said sarcastically.

She was completely unperturbed by his tone. "Well, thanks for buying me the drink, anyway. Want to get one more?"

"Hn. Fine. What do you want?"

"Whiskey sour would be great."

Before he had a chance to get his wallet out, she had pulled out her own, and Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"What? This way we're even." She shrugged.

"Hn." Sasuke sat back again and looked over at the mass of people on the dance floor. He glimpsed Kiba, dancing with some random girl, and Naruto's blond hair on the other side of the room.

The bartender brought their drinks over. "Why'd you ask about me being an asshole." Vaguely he wondered if it sounded like he was whining. _God I hope not. _

"I was just curious. Considering you came off as a total prick backstage today." She took a long sip of her drink. "The bad boy thing is kind of overused. Just saying."

Sasuke just glared at her. "So is the girl next door thing." He said, trying to be harsh, even though he didn't mean it. He drank down his whole glass. Now he was _definitely_ feeling the alcohol.

She mock-pouted. "Oh no, you've got my scheme all figured out. Damn it." She drank the rest of her glass and grinned, and Sasuke didn't know what to say.

"Come on, you want to dance with me?" She asked, and he thought she might be starting to get drunk too. "Or are you too cool?"

"You dance too?" Sasuke said skeptically (he wasn't sure why he was skeptical...why did he hate her so much, again?).

"Well, I do have concerts where I move around." She shrugged. "Apparently it's not enough for me to stand still."

There was some deeper resentment in that, but Sasuke was too drunk by now to question it.

The two of them went out on the dance floor.

"This is nice," she said, looking up at him. Sasuke met her eyes and didn't want to look away. Instead he smirked, and saw it reflected in her face.

The lights were flashing and the music seemed like it was only getting louder. And then she rolled her hips against his. _Jesus Christ. What am I doing? _This was Sakura Haruno. His bandmates would make fun of him for the rest of his life if they hooked up. But she was gorgeous, and they were both drunk...and for some reason she turned him on in every way.

She danced up against him, grabbing his hands. She had a sense of rhythm, that was for sure. The music pounded in Sasuke's ears and he could feel the heat of all the people around them. It seemed like he was feeling everything a thousand times more than he usually did, but for some reason it wasn't bothering him. Normally he wouldn't be seen dead on a dance floor, but something felt different. It had to be the alcohol, everything was hazy and everyone's faces were blurred. Sasuke had the vague feeling that this probably wasn't a good idea.

Before he could decide whether that was true, they were kissing. Sakura's lips were soft but she was putting a lot of power into the kiss, and Sasuke responded the same way. He felt her smile against his lips, and the lights were flashing around him, and he couldn't hear anything except the music. She pressed her body against his and reached her hands around his neck.

It was like he was high. He dug his hands into her hair and kissed her harder. She rolled her body against his and he let out a groan. They moved towards the edge of the smoke-filled dance floor, where it was darker.

This wasn't romantic. It was angry, and it was fire. Somehow Sakura knew all the right things to do, and it seemed like he was having the same effect on her. Sasuke pulled her closer and she let out a sigh that sent electricity running through him. Her pushed her hair away from her face, kissing her hungrily. She pushed him up against the wall with surprising strength and knotting her fingers in his hair. They weren't being gentle with each other. Sakura slammed her hips against his, and his fingers tightened on her waist.

Her tongue was in his mouth and his hands were on her waist and the music was pulsing in his ears. And the only thing he was thinking about right now was this moment: her smell and the feel of her body and the way she was kissing him.

There was door that led to a small hallway, Sasuke knew that much from the other times he'd been here. He pushed it open with his shoulder, still kissing her, and Sakura kicked it closed behind them. The bass was thumping from the other room and Sakura loosened her grip on his waist for a moment. They were both breathing hard, and they pulled apart for a split second just to stare at each other. Her eyes were a much darker green than they'd been earlier, and her lips were swollen. Just making eye contact sent heat running down him, and then the moment was gone: Sakura pulled him over to the other wall, where a few boxes were stacked. Sasuke sat on one of them, legs open, and she climbed on top of him, her legs straddling his. He put one hand around her waist and the other behind her head and their lips collided.

"_God_." Sakura breathed. He could smell the alcohol on her breath and it should've been a warning but Sasuke barely thought about it; he caught a whiff of something flowery, probably her perfume. Sakura played with the hem of his t-shirt before starting to pull it up.

Sasuke took the hint and tossed it off without a second thought. Sakura ran her hands over his chest and then pulled down the straps of her dress. Her pink hair was falling down in a mess of waves and he pushed it away, exposing her shoulders. She pulled him closer to her and the two of them kissed again, hard, before she moved down, kissing him along his jawline and up to his ear. He felt her teeth on the shell of his ear before she pulled apart for a moment. He closed the distance again, kissing her down to her collarbone and making her gasp. He smirked until she hit a spot on his neck with her tongue and he groaned. She laughed into his ear and even in this fog Sasuke knew this had been a bad idea. Because he'd never felt like this before.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hey, at least you didn't have to wait 40 chapters for some action this time...hehe. Drunk Sasuke is fun. But unfortunately things never work out this easily..._

_Tell me what you think so far :)_


	3. Best Mistake

"I need to talk to you about last night," Sakura Haruno said.

"Yeah."

It was the morning after, and the two of them were standing near their buses in the Ishi Suites parking lot.

Last night had ended before it went too far...if 'too far' was the right description. The two of them had been interrupted by someone passing through the hallway, and then they'd gone (staggered) back into the club. Sakura had disappeared, and (Sasuke had assumed) gotten a cab back to wherever she was staying. Sasuke had texted Naruto and then gone straight back to the hotel.

He hadn't made the connection that they would be staying at the same place, and probably leaving at the same time the next morning (leaving extremely early was the only way to avoid people waiting to catch a glimpse of them). The realization that he'd have to see Sakura again didn't hit him until he woke up, throat dry and head pounding. _That_ was when he remembered what he'd done last night, and the only thought that had gone through his head was, _s__hit._

Sasuke made a mental note to never get drunk with a girl, ever again.

"I—um…Look, I was _really_ drunk. If I did anything…" Sakura trailed off. She was wearing a t-shirt, and though her hair was down Sasuke could glimpse a few red marks that stood out on her neck. He felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Me too." He frowned at the ground. "Went too far. It shouldn't have happened." Every minute, he was angrier with himself for it.

Sakura nodded and bit her lip (way too attractively). Sasuke had no idea what he should say now.

"So…I guess I might see you in Ame. In a week or two." Sakura broke the silence awkwardly. They were avoiding each other's eyes; Sakura was fingering the hem of her t-shirt. She was wearing very little makeup and looked much younger, somehow. He'd thought she was his age, but maybe she was a year or two younger.

Honestly, it was hard to believe this was the same Sakura as last night; a whole other side of her had come out in the club. _The drunk side_, Sasuke thought, darkly amused for a moment before realizing that the exact same thing had happened to him. _Jesus Christ. _He hadn't even been completely hammered, either, which meant he remembered flashes of it. They were replaying in his mind, even now: her breath hot on his cheek, her fingers sliding down his chest, his hands on her waist, and—_W__hat the fuck is wrong with you_, he thought angrily.

"Hn."

"It was, uh. Nice meeting you, I guess." She was bright red and looked like she'd rather be anywhere else (that was about how he was feeling).

"Aa. You too." Sasuke said without thinking. He didn't want to think about what he'd done last night. With _Sakura Haruno_, of all people.

And he _especially_ didn't want to think about how it had felt.

"Alright. Bye." She turned and started walking away, clearly eager to get away.

Sasuke turned and started walking back to his own bus without a word.

Once inside, he sat down on the bench by the window. The bus started up immediately, and Sasuke watched the parking lot grow smaller in the distance. _Good riddance._

"So…You two gonna keep in touch?" Naruto appeared, grinning, in the doorway to the back. Kiba was right behind him.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke said, glaring out the window of their bus and refusing to take the bait. He'd known this would come eventually, because he'd been so fucking _stupid_ last night.

Kiba laughed. "Dude, when you said you weren't interested, I thought you were serious."

"Yeah, you were at it for a solid five minutes. Where the hell did you two go?" Naruto asked. "You disappeared."

"Out." Sasuke shrugged. There was no way Naruto was ever going to know the details. "Fresh air."

Naruto raised his eyebrows and grinned. "_Right_."

"Why would I lie."

"Oh, _I don't know_…"

Sasuke gave him a mutinous look.

"Really, though. That was pretty unexpected," Kiba said, an infuriating grin still on his face.

"We were shitfaced," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, knowing how unconvincing it sounded.

Kiba snorted.

"Aw, give him his privacy, Kiba," Naruto said. "I bet Sakura broke his heart."

"I'll kill you," Sasuke said in a low voice.

Naruto chuckled and then left, followed by Kiba. Sasuke knew he hadn't heard the end of it from them.

He'd been such an idiot…But no matter how hard he tried, for some reason he couldn't bring himself to regret last night. Not at all. And he wasn't really sure why.

He was supposed to hate Sakura Haruno, and this was really fucking irritating.

* * *

It was a day of travel on the bus, which they were all more than used to, but it meant Sasuke had to spend hours around Kiba and Naruto's shit-eating grins (and sniggers), which appeared anytime they made eye contact with Sasuke. Shikamaru had disappeared to his bunk as soon as they'd gotten on the bus, and it looked like he wasn't going to be up anytime soon, so Sasuke had no backup to shut them up. In the end, he stayed on the window seat, laptop open and music blasting into his headphones so he didn't have to interact in any way with either of his bandmates (or act on the strong, strong urge to beat them up).

Unfortunately, punk rock did nothing to distract him from Sakura Haruno, who wouldn't fucking leave his head.

When the other guys finally went to their bunks later that night (they wouldn't reach their next stop for a few hours, which meant sleeping on the bus), Sasuke stayed in the back and looked up Sakura Haruno. He wasn't going to risk doing it when Naruto and Kiba were around; if the word 'pink' even came up in conversation, they started giggling like five year olds. His music hadn't been loud enough to drown _that_ out.

He had the back of the bus to himself now. And Sasuke hated himself for it, but he listened to her entire first album (a fact that he would admit to no one, ever).

It was decent. Even _he_ couldn't pretend it wasn't, just like at her show the day before. His music ear took over everything else. Sasuke thought she sounded better live, but her music was undeniably good, despite obvious efforts by producers to turn it into mainstream pop. Only two songs had succumbed; the rest of the album was a style that was unique and, well, startling. Sakura Haruno was definitely legitimate; he didn't know if she wrote her own songs, but seeing her with a guitar for ten minutes had showed him that she knew what she was doing. And judging from the time they'd spent together at the club (as much as he didn't want to revisit that), he couldn't imagine that she didn't write her own music.

Sasuke was coming to the realization that she was going to be a serious problem for him.

* * *

Even after leaving Ishi behind, Sakura was still mortified. She never, _never_, did things like that. Let alone _acted_ like that—just thinking about how she'd come onto him made her cringe. Sure, she'd gotten drunk her fair share of times with friends back home, and had been involved in plenty of hook-ups. But never like what she'd been doing with Sasuke Uchiha. That had been…Well, something else entirely.

Sasuke Uchiha. Lead guitarist of Firestyle, who was impossibly talented and also had a (pretty accurate?) reputation as being sullen and brooding. Tall, dark, and handsome.

Unfortunately, the handsome part was undeniably true. Sasuke Uchiha was ridiculously attractive, and the fact that he was a good kisser made it a hundred times worse. Sakura had prided herself on not falling in love with celebrities, but she had to admit that even though they'd never met, there was always something about him that had attracted her before this. And last night hadn't done anything to get rid of it. _It's that stupid smirk_, she thought, irritated. It made her stomach flip over like a middle school girl. Which was ridiculous.

She'd been drunk enough to hook up with him, but not drunk enough to forget every detail. Which meant that now the parts that she remembered were playing over and over in her head. The way his lips had felt on her neck, the pulses of electricity that had run through her body.

She'd never felt that with anyone else, and something told Sakura that it hadn't just been the alcohol.

She watched the outskirts of Ishi flash by; it had been a whirlwind trip, multiplied by whatever had happened last night. Sakura was sitting at the table in the front of her bus, guitar on the floor next to her. She almost picked it up, and then made a split-second decision to call Ino, her best friend back home. Sakura knew she wasn't going to be able to concentrate (and that's how she knew this was serious). She needed someone to talk to, even if it meant she had to spill the whole story.

Ino picked up on the second ring.

"Forehead! Oh my God it's been forever," she said in a rush, using Sakura's old nickname. No matter what had changed in Sakura's life, Ino had always been there.

"Are you okay? You sound totally out of breath."

"I got out of rehearsal literally a second ago," Ino said.

"How's it going?"

"Um, _awesome_." Ino had been dancing since before she could walk (even before she'd known Sakura, which was a _long_ time), and was currently working as a backup dancer for several different people. She was hoping to move up to more well-known acts, but she loved what she was doing. "So what's up? How was the show last night? I'm so mad I couldn't be there. You and _Firestyle_." Sakura could hear her grin.

"Actually, about that…" Sakura played with a stray pencil lying on the table, not sure how to start.

"What. Did you meet them? Well, obviously you did. Oh my God, they better not be jerks, I won't be able to get past it if they are."

"Yeah, I met them." Sakura said sheepishly. "I waited until they finished their set, which was amazing—"

"Obviously. Just tell me what they were like, in person."

"Okay, let me finish. They were all super nice, for the most part." She thought about Sasuke's aloofness and couldn't help smirking to herself. "Sasuke Uchiha's a bit standoffish." _When he's sober._

Ino snorted. "Yeah, that's clearly not a stage persona. So did you guys talk?"

"A bit. And then they just asked me if I wanted to come out to a club with them. Well, all of them except Sasuke."

"He sounds like a winner," Ino said with a laugh.

"So I went with them."

There was a pause. "Wait. You _what_?"

"I went. To the club. With them."

"Holy crap. Sakura, you went to a club with _Firestyle_."

"Yeah, I realize that," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

Ino was practically giddy. "So was it awesome?"

"It was…interesting."

"Why? What did you do?"

"Not much. I mean, I was dancing and it was fun. I was talking to Sasuke Uchiha, actually. And…We were both drinking a lot." She couldn't say it.

Ino paused for a moment. Then, "You guys totally hooked up, didn't you."

"Um—"

"Don't even deny it. Oh my God!" Ino said triumphantly, and Sakura sighed.

"Ino—"

"Jesus _Christ_ that must've been hot."

"Ino. You're not helping."

"Yeah, okay, sorry. So how was it?"

"It got really, um..."

"PG-13?"

"I pulled off his shirt. We were in a back room." Sakura was bright red.

"Wow. _Wow_." Sakura could tell Ino was enjoying every second of this, and she was regretting even telling her.

"Anyway, we stopped before anything else really happened," Sakura said hurriedly. "But I saw him this morning and it was really, really awkward."

Ino laughed. "Well, it was just a one-time thing, right?"

"I think so." She'd assumed so, anyway. Sakura wasn't about to have her heart broken by Sasuke Uchiha. Who she barely even knew, anyway.

"Then who cares? You made out with Sasuke Uchiha. And he's filthy rich and famous and doesn't need the publicity, so he won't say anything about it. There are no disadvantages."

_Except my feelings_, Sakura thought. "Yeah, I guess. This whole thing is just so weird, though."

"Welcome to your life. Everything's gonna be weird. But come on, don't sound so bummed. You're going to Ame!"

Sakura smiled involuntarily at the thought. She was headlining in Ame, one of the biggest music festivals of the year. Just thinking about it was enough to stir up her stomach in excitement.

"Yeah, you're right. I wish you could come, though." Sakura hadn't been home in two months, and that was the last time she'd seen Ino in person.

"God, me too. You'd better keep me updated. I mean, if your schedule allows for it." Sakura heard the sarcasm in Ino's voice.

"Oh, come on," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. If her schedule ever stopped allowing time to talk to Ino, Sakura would quit the whole thing.

Ino laughed. "Alright. I have to get back, we're starting up again. Good luck this week!"

"Thanks. Talk to you soon."

"Bye!" Ino hung up, and Sakura put her phone away. She missed Ino the most at times like this; the days of confiding everything in each other were long gone, and ever since Sakura's career had taken off, she'd been traveling more and more often. Sometimes she was incredibly lonely, but she was also doing what she loved. She'd always known there would be a compromise with music, and she'd accepted it.

Sakura went to the back of the bus and curled up on the plush window seat. It was her favorite place, away from the alcove where her manager, Orochimaru, always worked and where her team tended to congregate. But for these few hours, she had the bus all to herself; just her and her driver, Tazuna, who also served as a security guard. It was an eight-hour drive to Ame, interrupted by a rest stop in three hours to pick up part of her team. But three hours was everything. She stared out the window, watching the highway and rocky hills go by.

She couldn't stop thinking about Sasuke Uchiha. Or last night. And despite everything, Sakura couldn't bring herself to regret it.

* * *

**A/N:** _Would've had this up earlier, but ffnet decided to stop working._

_Anyway, unlike cars and football, I actually know a good amount about music from playing/listening to it lol, so I'm not totally fudging everything here. Thanks for all the reviews so far. _


	4. Stuck On You

The band rose up to the stage to deafening screams.

It was contagious, really. There was an adrenaline rush like no other that came with performing in front of an audience like this. The lights were blinding and there was no way to tell the sheer size of the crowd other than their noise. The first chord of their opening song only made the screams louder, and Sasuke could feel the energy pulsing.

"YO, AME!" Naruto yelled after their first song, and the crowd responded with screams. "THIS SHOW'S GONNA BE INTENSE!"

They were doing six of their loudest, most vigorous songs. Ame was always a spectacle, and the main stage was too big to not go all out (at least, that was the thinking of the production team).

The jets of fire burst up again as they launched into their next song, and the screams intensified. Shikamaru had left his keyboard and was riling up the audience at the front of the stage. Sasuke felt the energy coursing through his body and then a glaringly bright light was shining on him, flashing red and white as he took up the song solely with his guitar. He couldn't see anything, but this was straight music, and he tore up the solo like it was the only thing on his mind. Then Naruto slammed the bass drum, taking up the beat again, and Shikamaru and Kiba joined back in. Sasuke could barely hear his guitar over the crowd.

"We've got one last song for you," Shikamaru said what could've been an hour or five seconds later, leaning into the microphone at the front of the stage. "And then we're out."

People were chanting the band's name. "Thanks for an awesome night!" Naruto yelled. He ripped off his shirt and hurled it out towards the crowd. "One, two, ONE TWO THREE FOUR!" The sound was being pumped even louder through the speakers as they launched into their final song.

The lights shut off all at once at the end, drenching the stage in darkness and causing the audience to go wild They were still chanting, but the band had already been told not to do an encore, so they left the stage quickly.

Sasuke's t-shirt was soaked in sweat, and all of a sudden he could see and hear again. They ducked behind the back of the stage, where a whole group of people was waiting. The sound of the crowd was slightly muffled behind the wall.

"Can we get you anything? A fresh shirt, or maybe some mineral water?" Someone asked Sasuke.

Two years ago, Sasuke would've scoffed at this. Now, he didn't give it a second thought, just shook his head and followed the other guys. Kakashi was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, by several trailers.

"Good show," he said to them, smiling slightly.

"Thanks, man!" Naruto, still at the top of his performance high, slapped Kakashi on the back and then drained a water bottle. "That crowd was awesome."

"They're always good," Shikamaru said, wiping his forehead. "Also, put on a shirt, Naruto."

"Dude, if we were taking off shirts you should've told me," Kiba said, pulling off his old one and accepting another from a waiting staff member.

"Sometimes that sort of thing can be overkill," Kakashi said, and Sasuke smirked. If there was a place for ridiculous choreography, it was Ame, but some things were completely stupid.

"Whatever," Kiba said, grinning. He tossed back a water bottle as well. "Damn, they're loud." The crowd was still screaming.

"Who's on after us?" Shikamaru asked.

"There's a break, and then Anbu's playing," Kakashi said. "So we should get out of the way. Our team's clogging the path."

They all got on a golf cart, which would take them back to the bus. Sasuke could feel himself coming down from the adrenaline rush. It _had_ been a good crowd, he thought reluctantly. Not that the band should get anything else.

The golf cart brought them almost to the parking lot, but there was short stretch before the parking lot that they had to walk, since the lot was now packed with trailers. Unfortunately, the fans had found the area, and no matter how many people were around them, there was no way to be completely separate.

Security rushed the band down the path; there were people screaming on either side, held back by safety barriers. Sasuke didn't acknowledge either side, just walked fast. He'd learned to tune it out.

"Marry me, Sasuke!" Someone screamed, and he didn't even look up.

A minute later, they were back in the sanctuary of the barricaded parking lot, where they went back to the bus.

"Jesus Christ," Shikamaru said once the door was shut behind them. "They get more insane every year."

"We should've stayed behind to do some autographs," Naruto said, looking slightly disappointed.

"Relax, dude," Kiba said. "Those are the psychopath fans."

"Hn," Sasuke said. That was for sure.

"No, they're just energetic!" Naruto protested.

"Whatever." Shikamaru yawned. Twenty five minutes onstage had clearly drained him of all energy. "I'm going to bed."

Sasuke went to his bunk too, but not to sleep. He watched the live feed from the Anbu (a metal band) set on his phone. He couldn't help wishing sometimes that he could go out and see the performances himself. Not that being in a sweaty, screaming crowd was worth it. Still, he usually snuck out at least once.

He resolved to do that tomorrow, which was also the day that he knew Sakura Haruno was performing. Not that she had anything to do with it.

* * *

Sasuke had looked up the schedule to see when she was playing one of the smaller stages (he wasn't going anywhere near the main stage). It was early Monday afternoon; the band was free all day, which meant he had time to go out.

It was easy to get over to the venue; he knew the back paths. There was no way he was going to watch the whole thing. Just one or two songs, and then he'd go see whatever else he could catch before security flipped out that he was gone.

Sasuke reached the back of the open amphitheater a few songs into her set. Just from the sound of the crowd, before really hearing anything himself, he could tell she had them eating out of her hand. _Typical._

It was a decent-sized venue and his view of the stage was blocked by some equipment, but there was a monitor nearby. When Sasuke had arrived she'd been in the middle of a faster acoustic song (he recognized it from her album) standing center stage with her guitar. He watched her on the screen, not her face so much as her hands.

She was riffing so subtly it was probably barely noticeable to the crowd, but Sasuke was extremely impressed. He couldn't explain it, but somehow he just knew that she wrote her own music.

It was just her, alone on the stage, and she started playing a slower song. This must be a strictly acoustic performance—whatever she'd done on the main stage had probably been a blowout concert with sets and everything.

Her voice was aching with emotion, and Sasuke thought vaguely that the song didn't seem like the right song to be playing at a festival like this. His eyes had moved to her face, slightly blurred on the monitor but clear enough to see every expression that crossed it.

By the third song he really noticed it. She did this thing sometimes when she played, closed her eyes and got lost in the music. It was one of those quirks that people tried to rehearse out of you when you went into the industry, particularly the pop world. Once you got big, after you made the huge hits, you could backtrack and go emotional again. But at that point the real music had been trained out of a lot of people.

Since the rock world wasn't so much about image (though maybe that was hypocritical), Sasuke hadn't had that experience. He resisted anything marketed.

He couldn't help being struck by it in Sakura. She was a musician, not just a performer, that was obvious. It was clear that she loved music, loved it as much as he'd loved it when he first started. Not that he didn't now, but something had just gotten a bit tired about the whole thing. He used to love every minute he was playing guitar, and while that feeling wasn't gone, he only really stirred when he found an interesting new combination, or figured out a riff that he really liked.

The applause and cheers at the end of the song pulled him out of his thoughts and suddenly he was moving away, past the crowd on one of the winding paths he knew from experience.

Sasuke snuck around to the area behind the stage, making up his mind as he bypassed security barriers. There were a lot of people milling around, but no one noticed him until he was much closer to the stage.

"This is a restricted area," a guy in a security uniform said, barring the way with his body.

Sasuke took off his baseball cap. "I should I have clearance."

"Ah. Sasuke Uchiha. Of course." He stood back immediately. The perks of being famous. Sasuke supposed he should still feel lucky that playing the celebrity card had worked, but confidence tended to get you anywhere.

Sasuke walked straight past him before he could rethink this. _You're an idiot_, he thought as he reached the trailers behind the stage, but he kept walking until he reached the stairs leading down from the stage. The applause for the song she'd been playing was deafening.

"Thanks!" He heard her say. "Thank you so much, this was awesome!"

A minute later she was coming backstage, completely alone, and Sasuke was seriously regretting this decision. But then she was at the top of the stairs, and she saw him.

Her eyes widened, and then she frowned. It looked like she was speechless. Still, she came down the stairs, and then they were face to face.

"I—What are _you_ doing here?" She asked him, ignoring any kind of greeting.

"Wanted to talk to you," Sasuke said, cursing how stupid he sounded.

"Um…Look, I don't know what you'd want to talk to me about. I thought we agreed to forget the Ishi thing." She was blushing and clearly confused.

"It's not about that," Sasuke said.

She frowned. "Then what?"

"You want to go out for dinner sometime?" It just came out.

Sakura was clearly shocked, but she collected herself remarkably quickly. She raised her eyebrows. "Wait, seriously?"

He shrugged. "Aa."

She rolled her eyes and looked slightly amused. "Yeah. Sure. I mean, assuming this isn't some sick joke."

"Hn. No." He frowned. "Just figured I'd ask. That night at the club…"

He was pretty sure she could see right through him, because she smiled slightly. "Yeah, me too." She shrugged, but he could see that she was still blushing. He smirked with satisfaction. Clearly this hadn't been one-sided.

"How did you even get back here, anyway?" Sakura asked, frowning suddenly and looking behind him at the large security barriers.

He shrugged. "Wasn't hard."

"Oh, right, I forgot who you are," she said, shaking her head with a grin. "Here, do you...want my number?"

"Sure." They took out their phones and exchanged numbers. It was such a weirdly normal thing that Sasuke almost stopped. When was the last time he'd given his number to someone? _Years ago, probably. _If ever.

Sakura handed back his phone and glanced behind her. There were people starting to come out from the stage. "I have to go, I've got press stuff."

"Aa. Me too."

"So I guess I'll text you? I'm here for four days, I think."

"Us too. Just tell me when you're free."

"Um, sure." She still looked slightly puzzled by the whole thing, and Sasuke didn't blame her.

He went back the way he'd come, ducking behind a trailer outside the security barrier to avoid a group of girls who'd clearly just come from Sakura's show. Sometimes even the back paths weren't safe.

But he made it back to the bus without any other close calls. Naruto and Kiba were on the couch inside, watching the live feed of some performance.

"Where've you been, teme?" Naruto demanded when Sasuke entered the bus. "Don't tell me you snuck out to watch people! You should've brought us!"

"You don't know how to get around. You'd cause a mob," Sasuke said. It wasn't even a lie; Naruto knew how to summon people out of nowhere (probably due to his permanently loud voice), and always ended up surrounded by hordes of fans.

"That's my job," Naruto said, waving a hand. Sasuke rolled his eyes and Kiba chuckled.

"Where's Kakashi," Sasuke said. "I thought we had to go out."

"He's meeting with someone. We've gotta go do press in like half an hour." Kiba said.

"Great." Sasuke muttered. He ducked under the doorway and made his way to the back. As he pulled out his guitar to try and get something done before they had to go out for the evening, the past hour sunk in completely.

He'd asked Sakura Haruno out. Like an idiot (or a naïve teenager). God, he was stupid.

He didn't regret it nearly as much as he wanted to.

* * *

Sakura knew exactly what Ino would say if she heard about Sasuke Uchiha asking her out: "Don't get hurt."

And she knew the risks. In this business, people used you like dirt and threw you away the second they were done with you. Relationships could go the exact same way, and Sakura knew she was the naïve one in this case.

The more she was letting herself think about it, the more something like that was making sense: Sasuke Uchiha was famous for never doing anything remotely romantic with anyone. He was the epitome of a lone wolf. Clearly he had a system for this: hook ups here and there. He probably paid off the girls so they wouldn't talk. She'd heard rumors of similar arrangements with various people trying to keep up a reputation (it was all so disgusting).

But something told her that it wasn't going to be like that. It seemed stupid (Sakura knew Ino would roll her eyes if she attempted to describe it), but the way Sasuke had looked at her, not to mention how uncomfortable it had been, said that he didn't do this often. That awkwardness, which she could see flashes of underneath his carefully blasé attitude, was one of the reasons she'd been so preoccupied with him. Sasuke Uchiha had layers under the surface. Not to mention he'd broken a bunch of rules, going out of his way to even talk to her (even though he'd acted like it wasn't a big deal at all). And unless it had only appeared so because of some kind of ridiculous acting ability, he clearly hadn't thought out what he was going to say. If anything, it had slipped out reluctantly.

He would've had a system for this whole thing: get in touch with one of her assistants, or even have gotten her number that night at her club. If he'd really wanted to use her, wouldn't he have been a little cooler about the whole thing? She was pretty sure he hadn't liked her when they first met, at all. In fact, it had been such a negative feeling that she'd been surprised, considering it was coming from someone who radiated indifference all the time. And then that night had confused everything.

_Jesus Christ, Sakura_, she thought to herself. Well, what harm would one night do? She knew exactly what she could be walking into, and that was a bigger advantage than anything.

When she texted Sasuke a few days later, telling him she was free that night, Sakura resolved to go in lightly. No deep feelings.

Hopefully it wasn't too late for that.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Tell me what you think :) _


	5. This Feeling

They met on Wednesday night, when the majority of the crowds had cleared out after the final big performances on Monday.

Sasuke had slipped out of the parking lot the back way, so the paparazzi were nowhere to be seen. The address he'd given Sakura was a street corner with a bunch of food trucks (he had decent knowledge of the area); restaurants were out of the question, because of the time and place. He waited on the corner, leaning against a streetlight. God, this was ridiculous. He hadn't been on a date since—well, never. _Jesus Christ._

"Hey." Suddenly there she was. She'd surprised him, coming from the opposite way he was looking, but Sasuke didn't let it show.

"Hi," he said. Sakura was wearing jeans and a black sweater, not particularly dressy, and Sasuke suddenly wondered if maybe she wasn't quite so put together in real life as her stage outfits made her look. He was irritated with himself for even being surprised; he knew exactly how a team of people changed the way you were seen.

"So…" She looked up at him expectantly. She was wearing more makeup than she had been in the parking lot that one day, but it had clearly been done on her own terms. "Did you have a particular place in mind?"

"This is the only option. Restaurants aren't going to work," he said.

"Oh, God, duh. I didn't even think about that." Sakura rolled her eyes at herself.

Sasuke smirked, unable to stop himself. She was so genuinely naïve about fame. "This is okay for you, right?"

"Yeah, of course it is," Sakura said, waving a hand. "Honestly, I'm just glad to be out of the Ame bubble. It'll be good to order my own food."

"Tch," Sasuke said. "You snuck out?"

"Yeah." He expected her to blush and act embarrassed about it, but she didn't. "My makeup artist's covering for me. I told them I was going over to her trailer for a few hours." She said it like she did this kind of thing all the time. Well, the way she'd been kissing him told him she had experience. _Don't even think about that._

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, and she frowned, clearly reconsidering what she'd done. "You don't think it's a big deal, do you?" It sounded so innocent. "I'm still getting used to all of this."

So she _didn't_ do this often. "Not the right person to be asking," Sasuke muttered, darkly amused. He'd never cared about that kind of thing.

"Wow, yeah. I almost forgot who I was talking to," Sakura said dryly.

It was extremely easy to talk to her, Sasuke realized. And they were both sober, unlike the conversation at the bar.

They found themselves at the last food truck, where they ordered fish tacos. Sasuke paid for both of them without a second thought.

"I knew you weren't a total jerk," Sakura said, giving him a smile that made him feel like they'd known each other for a long time.

He rolled his eyes and handed her the food bag. Their hands got slightly muddled, and when Sakura withdrew with the bag, she was blushing slightly. They walked along in silence for a minute.

"So. Should we do the 'getting to know you' stuff?" Sakura asked him. She unwrapped her food.

"Hn. Like what."

"I don't know, the classics. Favorite color, childhood pets. Or favorite, like, punk band. That'd probably be more appropriate." She grinned.

"You like punk?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

She just gave him an exasperated look. "Yet again, your bias is unbelievable. You realize that just because my music is one genre, doesn't mean I can't listen to other stuff? That's like assuming you've never listened to classical because you're all rock."

"Hn." She was right, obviously.

"You're a total purist, aren't you," Sakura said, amused. "And you don't even know what my music sounds like."

"Of course I do," He muttered, though he wasn't about to admit that he'd listened to a few songs more than once.

She raised her eyebrows and grinned. "That's surprising, considering I was pretty positive you hated me."

Sasuke shrugged.

"Well, rest assured that I didn't think you were amazing either," Sakura said, and Sasuke rolled his eyes (again).

There was a low stone wall running along part of the sidewalk, and Sakura sat down. Sasuke followed her, leaving a few inches of space between them. They ate in silence for a minute or two, but Sakura didn't seem to be uncomfortable with it (not nearly as uncomfortable as he would've expected).

"It feels so weird, being away from everything," Sakura said, almost to herself. They were almost completely alone on the road.

Sasuke almost smirked. She really was inexperienced. "Tch."

"I know you're laughing at me, but come on. It must've been weird when you starting doing all of press and stuff."

"Aa." He shrugged. It _had_ been weird, and he'd hated all of it. Despised it, really. But after a while, it was all background noise. He could turn off, if he needed to; that was how he'd gotten by for this long.

"Just trying to make conversation," Sakura said with a sigh, a hint of that amusement in her voice. _Annoying._

"Not my area," Sasuke muttered, and Sakura laughed.

"Well, not judging by your lyrics," she said, surprising him.

"Don't write lyrics," Sasuke said, even though that wasn't completely true. "That's Shikamaru."

Sakura rolled her eyes like she knew he was lying. "By your G9 chord, then."

G9 was the basis for one of their songs, Alien, and suddenly Sasuke wondered if Sakura had perfect pitch. He didn't ask.

Sakura almost looked embarrassed at his raised eyebrows. "Sorry. I just like your combinations. God, this is weird."

"Thanks." Sasuke smirked, and was darkly satisfied to see that she was blushing. Still, he was too curious to let the discomfort continue. "How long have you been playing guitar."

"I started in ninth grade, my parents let me get a guitar for my fifteenth birthday. I've been playing as much as I could since then." Sakura shrugged. "I'm not great or anything. I didn't get a contract for my guitar playing."

There it was again: that ridiculous, annoying modesty. "Hn."

"What about you?"

"Early. I was twelve. Electric."

"Oh, mine was acoustic. But you're probably not surprised about that." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke couldn't help smirking. She was right.

And then they started really talking about music, the thing that they actually had in common. And it was so _easy_. The conversation just took off, because somehow they felt the same things and knew the same styles and yet again she was surprising him.

Her tone became slightly teasing when the conversation turned to the industry. "So did they ever try to make you look more friendly? Or dye your hair?" She raised an eyebrow and grinned. "I mean, unless it _is _dyed."

"No. It's a rock band." Sasuke said, as if it was obvious. "Shit like that's only for pop." He eyed her own hair.

Sakura shrugged, not put off by his tone. "My hair's natural, believe it or not."

Sasuke raised a skeptical eyebrow and Sakura rolled her eyes. "You know, you try really hard, but I can tell you're not _completely_ insensitive," she said.

Sasuke frowned. "Yeah?" He challenged.

"Yeah. Your music betrays you."

Hearing her say that was much more unexpected than irritating (which it _should've_ been, considering she was being extremely annoying right now), but he didn't let on.

"You're way too...nice." He said, in a way that wasn't meant to be complimentary at all.

"Wow. You might not be insensitive, but you are a complete asshole." Her voice was amused. Why couldn't he ever get her bothered?

"You're not a bad guitar player," he said, because for some reason he didn't want to come off like an asshole around her, the way he did with almost everyone else. It wasn't like it was a lie, either (in which case he never would've said it).

It was also probably the highest compliment he could've given her, and she knew it. Sasuke almost regretted saying it.

Almost.

Sakura raised her eyebrows, momentarily struck dumb. "I—Thanks. That...That wasn't supposed to just be a pickup line or something, right? I mean, I doubt you ever do that kind of thing, but..."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Of course not." He muttered.

"Good." Sakura said, quietly.

She looked around at the empty street, almost as if she was avoiding his eyes. It had darkened around them as they talked; the sun was almost down.

"I have to go back soon," Sakura said after a moment of silence and when the streetlights suddenly turned on. Sasuke felt some satisfaction at her reluctance. "They're probably going to come after me soon."

"Tch. Right."

They walked back to the corner where they had started, neither of them talking.

"I'm going right here," Sakura said, stopping next to the light where they'd met. "You?"

"Left."

"Of course." Sakura looked amused, and Sasuke smirked.

She met his eyes for a solid second and then she moved closer to him.

Without pausing to think about it, he closed the distance and kissed her, feeling that rush of warmth that he remembered from the club. Sober, it was twice as good.

Sakura put more pressure into the kiss, putting her arms around his neck, almost hesitantly (it was the opposite of last time). They stayed like that for a moment.

She pulled away from him when they heard a car horn from a few streets away.

"Hey. We're keeping this quiet, right?" Sakura asked him.

"Definitely." If this got out...No, Sasuke didn't even want to think about that possibility.

She nodded and stepped back. "I should go. Meetings and all that."

Sasuke nodded. "You going to Kumo after this?"

"I think so. For the next month, at least. I'm recording. You?"

"Aa. Until we go on the road again."

"Cool. So I guess I'll see you around, then." She smiled slightly and he felt his stomach flip over.

"Tch. Yeah."

"Great. I'll, um, text you?"

"Sounds good."

He watched her go, and she glanced back to give him a wave before turning the corner.

It was too late to go back now, but Sasuke realized, standing by the streetlight, that he didn't really mind anymore.


	6. Coffee

The good thing about the period of time between Ame and the awards season was that it was quiet. Summer tours were done, and they were back in Kumo for a good amount of time. The band shared a penthouse apartment in one of the nicest areas of the city, a few blocks from some studios. Kumo was the entertainment capital, though Konoha was also known as a music hub. It wasn't surprising that Sakura came from Konoha, Sasuke thought; a large number of musicians came out of the city. Oto was trying to cultivate that reputation, but they weren't quite there yet. Sasuke hadn't been back to his hometown in over a year, and he was fine with that. It wasn't like there was anything there for him.

The band got to the apartment late in the afternoon, and everyone disappeared to their own rooms. Just having his own bedroom was better than almost everything, Sasuke thought as he deposited his bags on the floor. Sometimes it felt like the lack of privacy on tour was more wearing than anything. Now he had time to himself.

The schedule for the next few weeks mostly involved writing, before the awards season began. It was the only slow period they'd have for a while, with no promotion to do and very few performances. Their only real obligation was recording new material. Granted, that was time-consuming and difficult at times, but it was Sasuke's favorite kind of work.

He'd been texting with Sakura in the last week more than he cared to admit, and they'd talked on the phone last night (Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he'd had a phone conversation that wasn't about business). Sasuke had gone down to the underground parking garage of the apartment building (at the risk of being recognized) to avoid his bandmates eavesdropping on his conversation. It was probably overkill, but he didn't want to risk it.

* * *

Sasuke went into the studio for the first time since they'd come back on a Friday afternoon with Shikamaru. He'd always liked working in the studio; something about writing at the apartment made him less productive, even in their practice room. Kiba and Naruto were off doing who-knows-what, after jamming that morning.

He played a few chords, trying to figure out a good base. Shikamaru was lying on the couch, more interested in sleeping than contributing to anything. He'd abandoned the keyboard about fifteen minutes before.

Sasuke's phone buzzed, and he saw that it was Sakura. They'd been talking on and off all day; she'd said she had a photo call or something that morning, and then rehearsals of some sort in the afternoon.

He smirked just seeing the text, not able to help himself even though it was something stupid—'Productive session?' (he had told her that morning that he was going into the studio).

"So how long have you two been going out? Since the first night in Ame?" Shikamaru asked. He was watching Sasuke, smirking slightly.

"What are you talking about." Sasuke said in a low voice.

"Sakura Haruno." Shikamaru said. "Don't even bother denying it."

Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to. "How'd you know."

"You haven't been yourself since Iwa. And you never smirk when you're texting someone."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"Don't take that in a creepy way. When you live with someone for years, you get to know them too well," Shikamaru said, sounding bored. "Also it was way too obvious when you snuck out that one night. I'm surprised at least Kiba hasn't caught on." He smirked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I won't rub it in, but I'm kinda surprised," Shikamaru said after a moment.

"Yeah." Sasuke said. "Me too." It was a rare truthful statement, only because Shikamaru was one of the few people he could be honest with. Then he rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly. "Clearly _not_ whatever. You're seriously into her, aren't you."

Sasuke shrugged.

"How long are you planning to keep it under the radar?" Shikamaru said, raising his eyebrows.

"As long as possible." Sasuke said darkly.

"Good luck." He grinned, which made Sasuke frown. "You'd better tell Naruto and Kiba," Shikamaru said. "And Kakashi. You can't exactly keep it from them."

"Hn. I'll do it." Sasuke muttered, not looking forward to the prospect. He stood up. "I'm going. We're not gonna get anything done if you're asleep."

"Yeah, probably not." Shikamaru said. He closed his eyes. "You going back to the apartment?"

"Aa."

"I'll see you there. We've got the room for another hour, I'm gonna sleep."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and left.

He supposed he should be grateful for someone like Shikamaru, who didn't bring drama to the whole thing. His other bandmates would be a different story.

* * *

"You want to meet up next week?" Sasuke was talking to Sakura on the phone, standing on one of the balconies of their apartment.

"Um, yeah, I'd love to. I'm in the studio almost every day, but I think I'm free Thursday afternoon?"

"Works for me."

"Great. Do you want to meet around five?"

"Aa. Sure."

She gave him an address that was walking distance from his apartment, and they hung up after a moment of awkwardness.

* * *

"Sorry, I came right from a dance rehearsal," Sakura said. She was slightly out of breath, and wearing leggings and a t-shirt under a loose jacket. Her hair was in a ponytail and it was clear she hadn't cared about trying hard. Sasuke was struck yet again by how effortlessly beautiful she was. It was ridiculous, really, and it shouldn't affect him nearly as much as it did.

"Don't worry about it."

"So where do you want to go? There's a diner I like that's pretty far downtown, I doubt anyone will recognize us."

"How do you know."

Sakura glanced at him and grinned. "Because it's the early bird special. We'll be the only people there under sixty five."

Sasuke smiled reluctantly.

The diner in question was about as stereotypical as you could get. Shiny metal exterior, neon red sign advertising the name: Teuchi's. Sakura led the way in, beaming at the waitress inside.

"Just you two?" The waitress asked. She had to be in her early sixties.

"Yes, thanks." Sakura said.

The waitress led the way to a booth towards the back. "I'll be back to take your orders soon, dears."

Sasuke looked around the place, raising his eyebrows. "You come here often?" Sakura had been right; the only other customers were a few old couples and some ancient guys at the bar. The two of them

Sakura laughed. "I've been once. Someone recommended it when I asked about somewhere secluded. I just thought of it this afternoon, when I was thinking about places we could actually go." She picked up the menu and looked it over, and Sasuke did the same.

"What are you getting." He asked her.

"Definitely a grilled cheese." Sakura said, putting her menu down.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Tch."

"Don't 'tch' me," Sakura said, staring intensely at him. "You may think grilled cheese is beneath you, but I happen to think that it's delicious."

Sasuke just shook his head.

"What are _you_ getting?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke shrugged.

"Come on, you must have a favorite food. I know you don't just eat, like, steak."

"Steak?" He smirked.

"You know what I'm talking about," Sakura said, waving a hand impatiently. "The stereotypical guy foods."

Sasuke just looked at her. In a weird way he enjoyed riling her up.

"Oh my _god_," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

He let up. "Tomatoes."

"That's your favorite food?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Probably."

"Alright, I'll take it." Sakura grinned. "I really wanted you to say strawberry cheese cake, though."

* * *

Sakura sighed with pleasure twenty minutes later when the waitress put the large sandwich and accompanying French fries in front of her.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"Look, I've been eating strictly portioned meals for the last week. This is heaven." Sakura said.

He frowned immediately. "Why."

Sakura waved a hand. "They want me on a diet before awards season. Normal stuff."

"That's ridiculous. You're skinny."

"Not skinny _enough_, apparently," Sakura said, her slightly bitter tone betraying the dismissive way she'd brought it up.

"You don't have to put up with shit like that." Sasuke muttered, angry. He had always pushed away all suggestions from the band's team and stylists and who knows who else.

"Yeah, I do. I'm a girl. I'm a product to be marketed and I signed up for that the minute I signed my record deal. I knew that, and you should too." Sakura said. Sasuke didn't know what to say, she was so spot-on. Of all people, he should understand what she was talking about. The music industry was as much about visual marketing as it was about audible marketing.

"Controlling what you eat, though?" Sasuke said.

"Look, I don't want to talk about this," Sakura said, and it was the closest he'd seen her to truly angry. "Can we just, I don't know, have a normal night? Without talking about drama or whatever."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. 'Normal' wasn't exactly a word that he knew the definition of.

Sakura seemed to realize it, because she shook her head and then smiled reluctantly. "Alright, a _nice_ night. That's what I want."

"Sure." Sasuke said, and then the waitress was bringing his chicken sandwich up to the table.

"I've gotta say, I never would've expected to see two kids as gorgeous as you here for the early bird shift," she said as she set the plate down in front of Sasuke. "Why aren't y'all off with your friends?"

"We wanted somewhere quiet," Sakura said with a smile.

"Well, you got that for sure. Not hiding from anyone out here, are you?"

Sakura was blushing slightly. "I hope not," she said.

"Good, good. Well, call me if you need anything, I'll check up on you in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Sakura said. She caught Sasuke's eye and bit her lip, and he smirked.

An hour later, full of greasy diner food, Sasuke was extremely glad they'd gone. It had probably been one of the best meals he'd had in a long time. After paying, the two of them left the diner walked along the street. Sakura linked her hand with his as they walked, and Sasuke was struck by how ridiculously strange this was. If anyone who knew him (or _didn't_ know him) could see him now…No. He didn't even care about them.

Honestly, in that moment he really only cared about the pink-haired girl next to him.

Sasuke stopped walking and Sakura turned to look at him, frowning. "What, do you have to go back?"

"Not yet." Sasuke said. He leaned in and kissed her, and Sakura immediately kissed him back. They were up against the wall of a building, and Sakura tightened her grip on his waist slightly, like she was going to push him into the wall. She was kissing him hard, until vaguely Sasuke heard a car drove by.

"I think eventually we need to find a better place for this," Sakura said, pulling away from him a few inches.

Someone whistled, and both of them looked around to see a kid standing on the opposite side of the road. "Get a room!" He yelled.

"Okay, we _definitely_ need to find a better place for this." Sakura said.

Sasuke stepped away. "Aa. Got lucky. Could've been a paparazzi."

Sakura nodded and sighed. "You're right. I didn't even think of that."

"They always know how to find you," Sasuke said darkly, and for some reason Sakura laughed.

"Tone down the cryptic messages," she said, poking him in the chest.

"Annoying," Sasuke muttered. Sakura just smiled.

* * *

The band got together about a week later for their first formal recording session (well, practice session—they had carved out a chunk of time to write in the studio together). Sasuke and Shikamaru played a few of the basic melodies they'd gotten down in the past week, and Naruto and Kiba would add things and give (occasionally helpful) suggestions. Somehow the four of them were actually in the zone together, and five hours in the studio flew by until Sasuke glanced at the clock and saw that it was five thirty. He was supposed to meet Sakura at six.

"I have to go," Sasuke said, standing up.

"Where? We've still got an hour here." Naruto said.

"Dude. We don't have anything to do." Kiba said. "What's so important that you have to cut a session short?"

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows expectantly from the corner. _Jesus Christ_, Sasuke thought. Well, he'd have to tell them at some point. Honestly, it was amazing that he'd been able to keep it quiet for this long. "Meeting Sakura," he muttered.

"WHAT?" Naruto dropped the drumstick he'd been twirling absently.

"Whoa. _Whoa_." Kiba said.

"Hold on, have you guys been banging this _entire_ time?" Naruto asked, his tone incredulous.

"Well, your lovesick puppy theory clearly wasn't right," Kiba said to Naruto, smirking.

"We haven't been banging, dobe." Sasuke said through gritted teeth, ignoring Kiba's (uncomfortably false) comment.

"Why the hell not?" Kiba demanded. "She's fucking hot. And a great singer."

"Jesus Christ, Kiba." Shikamaru said.

"Plus you basically got all the way in Iwa, didn't you?" Naruto said, cackling.

Sasuke didn't even respond to that, just snatched up his jacket and guitar case.

"Hey, hold on a second," Kiba said. "Are you two like actually dating?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"That's a yes." Naruto said, and Sasuke wanted to punch him.

Kiba laughed. "Well, congrats. How long do you think she'll put up with you?"

"Shut the fuck up." Sasuke said, pulling on his jacket.

"I'm just kidding." Kiba smirked.

Sasuke saw Shikamaru roll his eyes, but he also seemed amused by this whole thing.

"Hey, Kiba, you know you owe me fifty bucks now." Naruto said with a wide grin.

Sasuke left without another word. They were insufferable.

* * *

He met Sakura at a coffee shop, another place on a back street that was quiet and mostly empty.

"Where do you find these places." Sasuke muttered when they reached the building.

"Believe me, I'm taking advantage of all my resources," Sakura said with a laugh. "Shizune told me about this one, she's my hair person. I just asked about a place where she thought I could get by unnoticed."

Sasuke nodded and looked at the place skeptically. Coffee shops were not his scene. At all. And yet here he was. _What's wrong with you_, he thought irritably as he followed Sakura inside. She led the way to a table in the corner.

"What do you want?" He asked her.

"How about I order?" Sakura's mouth quirked upward in a smile. "You look uncomfortable enough just being in here."

"Hn." He didn't contradict her.

"So what do _you_ want, then?" Sakura asked him.

"Just coffee and a sandwich." Sasuke said. "Doesn't matter what kind."

Sakura nodded and smiled.

She came back a few minutes later with two cups of coffee and handed him a ham sandwich, setting down a bowl of soup for herself.

"Thanks," Sasuke muttered.

"No problem," Sakura said airily, pouring milk into her coffee. Sasuke watched her.

"What?" She said, frowning slightly. He thought she might be blushing.

"Nothing."

"I'm guessing you drink yours black?" Her tone was almost mocking.

"Aa."

"Of course." She shook her head. Sasuke rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

"Something bothering you?" Sakura said after a moment. "You seem more sullen than usual. Which doesn't say much, but still."

He ignored her remark. "Told the rest of the band about us," Sasuke said after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"They're like middle schoolers," he muttered.

Sakura laughed. "Well, it must've been a shock to them."

"Why." Sasuke said, eyes narrowed.

"You're not exactly the kind of guy who dates a lot. Or at all, I'm guessing."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, you're ahead of me, anyway. I've only told Ino." Sakura said.

"Who's that."

"God, I keep forgetting how much we don't know about each other. She's my best friend, from home."

"She trustworthy?"

Sakura looked at him like he was crazy. "I've known her since I was six. I'd hope so."

"Just checking." He said.

She rolled her eyes. "She understands the implications." She added quietly, "Maybe more than I do. She's in the industry too."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Really."

"Yeah, she's a back-up dancer."

"For who."

"No one big yet, but she's getting there."

"Hn."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Annoying."

Sakura sighed and pushed her soup around before taking a bite. She looked around the room, frowning. "I have to say," she said after a minute, "It's weird for _me_ to see you in a place like this. And we've known each other for less than a month."

Sasuke shrugged and finished his sandwich. The coffee was alright, pretty good by his low standards from touring. Despite the band's celebrity and money supply, food service on the road could be lacking. Not that Sasuke had ever cared too much about that kind of thing…but he supposed he'd gotten a bit pickier once he could actually afford to.

Sakura pushed her soup bowl away a few minutes later and sighed. Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong."

"I'm just tired. But it's fine, I get to sleep in tomorrow."

"You have an apartment here?" He asked her before he could think better of it.

"Yeah, I have a place on River Street. It's new, though, I just moved in and there's barely anything in it. I bought it a few months ago but I haven't had any time to work on it."

Sasuke nodded.

"You guys have some kind of crazy penthouse, don't you?" Sakura looked amused.

"How do you know."

Sakura just looked at him. "You're kidding, right?"

Sasuke realized that for once he'd been the naïve one with that comment.

"It's Firestyle. Everyone wants to know your business." Sakura said. "Everyone probably _does_ know your business, in a lot of cases."

"Hn." Sasuke had always hated thinking about that.

"You know, maybe we should just meet at my place," Sakura said. She was frowning. "I don't think anyone knows where I live, it'd be so much easier than sneaking out to these kind of places."

"Aa." She was right.

* * *

There was a back alley behind the coffee shop, and after finishing dinner they kissed there for a while until Sakura's phone started going off.

"Just let it ring," Sakura said impatiently. Her hands were deep in Sasuke's hair and her cheeks were flushed.

"No. Might be important." Sasuke said, though he was as reluctant as she was to pull apart.

Sakura sighed and pulled out her phone. "Sorry," she said after a moment, "I went out for a walk. No, of course not. Oh my God, I completely forgot. Yeah. I'll be there in half an hour." She stuffed her phone away. "There was a meeting I was supposed to go to, I forgot about it." She smoothed down her hair hurriedly. "I need to go."

"Aa. I'll walk up to the street with you." Sasuke muttered.

She nodded, and then gave him a long look. "God, sorry." Their eyes met for a few seconds. He could still feel her hands against his bare skin, and the eye contact sent sparks down his arms.

"It's fine." Sasuke said.

They started walking back the way they'd come, up to the darkening street.

"They're gonna want to meet you again," Sasuke said suddenly.

"Who, the rest of the band?" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. You should just come over sometime," Sasuke muttered, before he could stop himself from saying it.

"Isn't that a bad idea?" Sakura says. "We were just talking about this. You have paparazzi right outside your door."

Sasuke shrugged. "Other ways in. I never use the front door."

"Right. I didn't even think about that."

"Next week. I'll text you." Sasuke said.

"Sounds good," Sakura said. She smiled, and Sasuke's stomach flipped over.

* * *

**A/N: **_Updating from a train today (never thought I'd say that lol). _


	7. Under the Table

The band was way too enthusiastic about the possibility of Sakura coming over, and it made Sasuke regret even bringing it up. He hated the idea of all of them fawning over her, and especially the fact that this would mean whatever he had with Sakura was no longer just between the two of them.

But Sakura had also become a much bigger person in Sasuke's life than he'd realized (or ever expected), and a part of him wanted her to meet them. Because no matter how irritating and obnoxious they were, the four of them were the closest thing he had to a family anymore.

They settled on the next Friday for Sakura to come over for dinner, and the rest of the band (particularly Naruto) was thrilled. Apparently it was too much for Naruto to contain himself, because Kakashi caught on when he was in the studio with them the day before. He stopped Sasuke before he left that afternoon. "I heard you have a guest coming over to the apartment tomorrow," he said.

"Did you." Sasuke shut his guitar case and shoved away his picks.

"Naruto mentioned it, but wouldn't say anything else. Is it your girlfriend?" Kakashi asked with a smug smile.

"Hn." Sasuke supposed Naruto or Shikamaru had told him. _Of course_.

"I assumed that's what it was," Kakashi said. "I guess I was right."

Sasuke frowned at him.

"You're not as hard to read as you think you are," Kakashi said. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"But speaking professionally as your manager, I completely agree with your choice to keep it quiet," Kakashi said. "I just hope you both know what you're doing."

"Of course we know what we're doing," Sasuke said, irritated.

"It's liable to blow up in your face, is what I'm trying to say," Kakashi said. "Which I'm sure you already know. And it'll be a change for your image." Sasuke rolled his eyes at that. "But it's your life. I'm not going to interfere."

"Aa." Sasuke muttered. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

"So who is it?" Kakashi asked. "Indulge me in a little gossip."

Sasuke glared at him. "You say the dumbest stuff," he muttered.

"I'm waiting, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "What if I said I wasn't going to leave until you gave me a name?"

Sasuke let out an irritated exhale, and knew Kakashi's threat was serious. "Sakura Haruno," he muttered.

"Hm." Kakashi looked smug.

"You already knew, didn't you." Sasuke said.

"None of your bandmates betrayed you, if that's what you're wondering. I just put the pieces together after your concert in Ishi. Looks like I was right."

"Whatever."

"I'll see you in a few days. Have fun tomorrow," Kakashi said, and then he left. Sasuke swung his guitar case over his shoulder irritatedly and went to meet his other bandmates.

* * *

Sasuke met Sakura earlier on Friday afternoon to make sure she knew the way. They took a taxi to the building next door to the band's apartment and entered through the back entrance. Sasuke led the way down a flight of stairs and then through the passage to the parking garage of their building.

"Wow. This is…Strategic." Sakura looked around, eyebrows raised. Sasuke had done this so many times it felt natural, but he realized to her it must be extremely strange.

"Yeah."

"Don't tell me these were linked when you guys moved in, though," Sakura said, a smile playing around her lips.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No. They advertised it when we were looking. Came in handy." They got on the elevator and he pressed the number 15.

"For all your romantic conquests, I assume," Sakura said, amused.

Sasuke just frowned at her.

"That was a joke," Sakura said.

"Whatever."

"Some day, you'll laugh at something I say," Sakura said. "Maybe something more tasteful, but it doesn't matter."

Sasuke snorted.

"That counts!" Sakura said triumphantly.

There was an awkward silence, and then suddenly the two of them were aware that they were completely alone, in a very confined space. Sasuke saw the blush creep up on Sakura's face. They were only standing a few inches apart, and her arm was almost touching his…

And then the elevator dinged (loudly), and the moment was gone. Sasuke got out feeling slightly sheepish, and could've kicked himself for the feeling. Hooking up on an elevator was the last thing he would ever do. _God_.

The band's apartment was the only one on the floor, so a short hallway led to the door.

"They'll be really fucking annoying," Sasuke said right before they reached the door. He was deeply regretting this.

"I can handle it," Sakura said, looking amused.

"Hn." Sasuke unlocked the door and opened it.

Naruto was waiting inside, and he jumped when the door opened.

"Sakura!" he said, running up to give her a hug like they were old friends. "It's awesome to see you again!"

"Um, you too." Sakura said, surprised but smiling. Clearly she was taken aback by Naruto's familiarity (Sasuke just rolled his eyes).

"Teme," Naruto nodded to Sasuke, smirking. "You guys have a good afternoon?"

"Yeah, we did," Sakura said, looking at Sasuke.

"Well, come in! The other guys are in the living room." Naruto said, leading the way down the hallway. Sasuke watched Sakura, who was looking around with wide eyes. Her genuine naïveté about fame showed most clearly in situations like this, but Sasuke didn't hold it against her in the slightest. The band's success was evident just from the size of the place.

Shikamaru and Kiba both came out of the living room just as the other three reached the doorway.

"Hey," Kiba said, flashing Sakura a smile that made Sasuke want to punch him.

"Nice to meet you…again," Shikamaru said, looking amused.

"You too," Sakura said. She looked a bit starstruck, to be honest, and Sasuke realized she probably was. This was the band's apartment, after all. Still, the thought was amusing.

"So, you want the tour?" Kiba asked.

"Uh, sure," Sakura said.

Kiba and Naruto led the way around the apartment, followed by Sakura and Sasuke. They showed her the main rooms and the doors to their respective bedroom/living areas.

"We're always here during recording time," Naruto said, "which means we never see the end of each other."

"I can imagine," Sakura said, sounding amused. "So you guys don't have separate houses here?"

"Nah," Kiba said. "Easier this way."

The band spent the most time in Kumo, but Naruto owned his own apartment in Oto, and so did Kiba and Shikamaru. They'd all felt some kind of connection to the place, unlike Sasuke. He hadn't looked back when he left, and he didn't regret it. He had no plans to ever go back.

Naruto had also thought about getting a place in Konoha; it was his hometown, even though he'd moved away as a kid.

"And that's it, I think," Naruto said. "Oh, wait, there's the practice room." He practically skipped down the hallway to show it to her.

Sakura was clearly intrigued; she stared inside at the various instruments. "Oh, wow. This is…Awesome. Is it soundproof?"

"Yep," Naruto said, grinning.

"Hey, you guys want to eat?" Shikamaru had appeared. "Food's here."

"Cool," Naruto said with a grin. He led the way into their rarely used dining room, where there was a spread of Italian takeout.

"Sorry, we're shit cooks," Shikamaru said to Sakura.

"That's fine," Sakura said with a laugh. "I live off premade stuff and pasta, it's the only thing I can make."

The thought of Sakura not being able to cook only surprised Sasuke because he hadn't considered the fact that she wasn't good at anything. It had been a stupid assumption, and he didn't know where it had come from. _Music. _If someone was a good musician, nothing else ever really mattered to him. Well, except if they were an asshole or not.

"You want some water? Or something else, we've got other stuff." Sasuke said.

"Water would be great," Sakura said, smiling at him. "I can get it."

"No, I'll do it," Sasuke said.

Naruto coughed and Sasuke shot him a glare as he headed into the kitchen to fill glasses. When he came back out, Sakura was sitting down at the insistence of Naruto. Sasuke sat next to her.

It was an extremely strange feeling to be sitting around a table with all of them, and it had to be even stranger for Sakura. Sasuke glanced over at her when he passed a bowl to her, and she was biting her lap.

"What's wrong?" He muttered, knowing none of the other guys would hear (Naruto was in the middle of a story about a conversation he'd had with Killer B, an eccentric rapper the band had collaborated with in the past).

"This whole thing is just…Really weird," she murmured, shaking her head. She grinned. "I mean, it shouldn't be, but it is."

"Tch. Yeah." Sasuke had to admit it.

"Hey, Naruto, how come Hinata isn't here?" Kiba said.

"She's working tonight," Naruto said. "Some big thing at the arena. Plus she gets kinda overwhelmed with a ton of people. And Sasuke intimidates her."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"I doubt that. People stop being intimidating when you have to put body mics on them," Shikamaru said, sounding bored.

Kiba snorted. "That's for sure. God, I hated doing that stuff when we started. Remember the shitty sound equipment at those places downtown?" Kiba said, grinning.

"Don't remind me," Shikamaru said with a sigh.

"If you guys don't mind...How _did_ you start playing together?" Sakura asked, looking genuinely curious.

Kiba grinned. "Oh, God, the getting-together story. What a tale."

"It's not a particularly interesting story, so don't listen to Kiba," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes.

"You don't have to tell me," Sakura said. "I was just kind of curious. I figured I could ask, since this is informal or whatever."

"Yeah, sure we can tell you! You've missed out on the good stuff, Sasuke never wants to talk about the old days," Naruto said. He grinned at Sasuke, who shot him a glare. "He hates anything personal."

"I wouldn't say it's that bad," Sakura said mildly, and Sasuke glanced at her. He realized she was on his side more than Naruto's, and it made him smirk slightly. She took his hand under the the table and it sent tingles up Sasuke's arm.

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed to have made the comment (which was extremely unusual), but he recovered quickly. "Well, I was best friends with teme and we used to play together back in middle school. Then we met Shikamaru in high school and played jazz together."

Sakura grinned. "Wow."

"Yeah, it was jazz on Tuesdays and as much metal as Naruto could get in," Shikamaru said, sighing. "Fucking awful."

"Hey!" Naruto said.

"We wanted to form a legit rock band, but all the bass players we knew sucked. And then Kiba stopped by a rehearsal one day, he'd heard about us through one of his friends. So he played a few runs and we gave him a try. Partly because he had the best garage for rehearsing. That was what, junior year?" Shikamaru said, frowning.

"Yup," Kiba said. "You guys were total misfits."

"Why'd you join up, then." Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Dude. Everyone knew you were the best, even if you were completely antisocial." Kiba said. He turned to Sakura. "Sasuke and Shikamaru used to hole up in my garage, writing music."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Sakura laughed.

"Luckily we all got along, for the most part," Shikamaru said. "It was kind of a miracle. But somehow the four of us worked out, so we started getting gigs at crappy bars and stuff."

"And the rest is history!" Naruto said triumphantly. "What about you, Sakura? When did you start singing?"

"Oh, wow. Since I can remember, honestly." Sakura blushed, looking slightly embarrassed. "I used to have really bad stagefright, though, I hated singing in public."

"Well, _that's_ changed," Kiba said, and the others laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. Sasuke couldn't help smirking slightly at how well she could hold her own with them.

"How about guitar? When did you start that?"

"Not seriously until freshman year of high school. Mainly because I wanted to be able to accompany myself. I played piano before that, but I haven't kept up with it so much. I'm not great." Sasuke hadn't known she played piano at all, but she was a singer-songwriter, so it probably should have been a given. _She's probably good, too_, Sasuke thought. It was that ridiculous modesty yet again.

"Aw, you're kidding!" Naruto said. "You've gotta jam with us sometime." Kiba nodded immediately.

Even Shikamaru looked more awake at the suggestions. "That's actually a good idea," he said. "I've wanted to talk songwriting with you since Ishi." That was news to Sasuke.

Sakura laughed, clearly surprised. "I—Wow. Yeah. That'd be fun."

* * *

They finished up about an hour later, after talking about touring and schedules. Sakura had checked the time and said she had to get back; it was past eight, and she had a phone call to make.

"I'll walk you down," Sasuke said, once she'd said goodbye to the other three guys and they were standing in the front hall once again.

"You don't have to," Sakura said immediately.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Come on," he muttered, and Sakura smiled.

The hallway was empty, and they waited for the elevator in silence. It reached their floor, dinged, and they got on.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Sakura met his eyes. And then Sasuke pushed her up against the wall of the elevator. Sakura's hands tightened around his waist, and they were kissing.

"What are we doing," she breathed, pulling an inch apart. He knew they were both thinking of the club in Ishi.

"Don't know," Sasuke said, closing the distance between them. Sakura slid a hand around his neck and her fingers sent chills down his spine. Her waist was pressed against his, and Sasuke could feel his heart thrumming.

_Ding_. The sound made them both jump apart, and then the doors were opening and they went out into the (luckily empty) parking garage.

Sakura was flushed, and she smoothed down her hair. "God," she said. "Did we really just do that on an elevator?"

"…Yeah," Sasuke said. It had just come over him, and it looked like it had been with the same with her. He ran a hand through his hair and hoped his face wasn't bright red.

Sakura shook her head, smiling sheepishly.

They walked up to the lobby of the other building, and Sakura called a cab. "I'm free a few days next week. You should come over," she said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I've only ever seen a few paparazzi around, but they're easy enough to avoid. There's a side entrance."

"No, I mean...Being at your place. Alone." With privacy.

She looked at him for a second, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "Yeah."

"Okay," Sasuke said.

"Cool." She gave him the address, and then got a call from the cab service. "They're here," she said, giving Sasuke a smile. "So I'll see you next week?"

"Sounds good."

"Thanks for this, too. I know you'll roll your eyes, but I had a lot of fun."

Sasuke restrained from rolling his eyes just for that. "Tch. Good."

Sakura gave him a wave and then went out to the cab.

* * *

Shikamaru and Kiba had disappeared to their rooms when Sasuke came back up to the apartment, but Naruto was in the main living room watching TV. Sasuke sat down on the couch without really thinking about it. He was still reliving the elevator ride downstairs.

Naruto muted the commercials for once and looked happily at Sasuke. "We should have Sakura over more often."

Sasuke was immediately pulled back to the present. "Hn."

"Oh, come on! She fits right in with us!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but he couldn't exactly disagree.

There was a pause, and then Naruto spoke again. "You know you're kind of a different guy around her, teme." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about." Sasuke said.

"You're not an asshole." Naruto said. He grinned.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke muttered.

* * *

**A/N:** _Sorry for the lag time. Hope you're enjoying. _


	8. XO

Was he really that different around her? Naruto's words kept replaying in Sasuke's mind, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking about it afterward. How could Sakura have changed so much, within such a short amount of time?

Sasuke pushed it out of his mind. He was making it into a bigger deal than it was. Sakura hadn't changed anything within him; sure, he liked her, but that was it. This whole thing was casual, sense-driven more than anything else.

And yes, he'd started associating the word 'girlfriend' with Sakura, but that didn't matter. Being with her had changed nothing.

* * *

"This way," Sakura said. She was leading the way up to the side entrance of her apartment building. They'd gone out to dinner, and then a taxi had brought them back to the next street over from Sakura's apartment.

Sasuke was surprised, however, to find out that she'd been right about the lack of paparazzi. The area around her apartment building was empty, free of yelling and flashes and general excitement. There was no one around as they entered the building through the side door.

It was a laughably normal apartment building; nice, but without any kind of special security. Sasuke wondered how many people knew that she lived there. It would be extremely easy to find her, if a crazy fan came looking.

He decided not to bring it up; he knew Sakura would roll her eyes and tell him he was paranoid, or something.

They took the stairs up to the third floor, where Sakura had a small loft. It was sparsely decorated (presumably because she was barely ever home).

"Welcome," Sakura said, motioning him inside with a grin.

Sasuke stepped inside and Sakura shut the door behind him. It was only one room and a bathroom. The kitchen was separated from the little living area only by the counters, and a large corner was curtained off.

"It's the bedroom," Sakura said in response to Sasuke's raised eyebrows. She rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look, I haven't had time to buy anything. Ideally I'd put up some shelves, but right now it's curtains 'cause that's what I have."

"Wasn't giving you a look," Sasuke said, his mouth quirking upward.

"Yeah, right." Sakura shook her head, sat down on the couch, and pulled off her shoes. "So. What now?"

Sasuke had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do next, and having the bed so close wasn't exactly easy to ignore. He looked at her, and was satisfied to see a blush spreading over her cheeks. Suddenly it felt like they were in the elevator again. Being here felt extremely personal, more so than it had in his own apartment (then again, they hadn't gone into his bedroom). Despite the lack of much decoration, he could sense Sakura's presence here, from the brightly colored rug to the photos of people on a side table. He figured they were friends and family but he was too far away to see them clearly.

"God, are you just going to stand over there," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "There was a specific point to coming here, wasn't there?"

Sasuke shrugged coolly but came over and sat down next to her. "Was there?"

"Well, yes. Since we're alone…By ourselves…For a long period of time…And no one's going to bother us…" She moved closer to him with every word, and her large green eyes loomed a few inches from his. She was way too fucking attractive for her own good, Sasuke thought suddenly.

"Jesus Christ," Sasuke said, but his lips met hers without hesitation. His hands slid around her waist and Sakura pressed herself against him. Sasuke smirked, satisfied that her need had been as great as his.

Sasuke pushed a hand into her hair, which smelled like flowers and oranges and things that he'd never liked but couldn't help liking now because they reminded him of her. The smell was intoxicating, like it had been that night in the club. He dug his hand deeper, tightening his grip on her waist, and Sakura bit at his bottom lip, sending a rush through him.

"This feels familiar," she murmured, moving from his lips to his ear. "I might have a box, if you want it. For old times' sake."

"Tch. Right," Sasuke muttered. "Dirty."

"_I'm_ dirty?" Sakura half-laughed, her mouth moving along his ear. "I don't think you remember that first night. But I do. Great blackmail material, actually."

"Funny," Sasuke said. He tilted his head and kissed her down her neck, knowing it was going to hit her sweet spot. Sakura gasped, her back arching, and he smirked. "_I've_ got the better blackmail material."

"Oh, right, I forgot who I was with. Cocky, sullen, Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura said, kissing him along his jawline and running a hand down his back. "Are you going to ruin my life with nightclub stories to your newspaper friends?"

"Of course not," Sasuke said. He didn't even want to play around talking about this kind of thing.

Sakura pulled back for a second, obviously surprised at his sudden sincerity. Still, she grinned. "Well, that's good to know."

"Don't even have newspaper friends," Sasuke said. "They're fucking stupid."

Sakura laughed. "That's a big generalization."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I forgot. You're good at those," Sakura said, and she kissed him again.

"Stop talking," Sasuke said, and Sakura laughed. Then he pulled her closer and their bodies were glued to each other as she shoved her hands into his hair.

God he was attracted to her, and it was probably a stupidly delayed realization, but Sasuke couldn't help thinking it as Sakura stripped off the shirt she'd been wearing to reveal a black tank top underneath. She tossed the shirt on the floor without a care and slid her hands under his shirt.

"We can move," she murmured. "I mean, my bedroom doesn't even have a door."

"Tch." Sasuke said, and the slight hesitation he had disappeared completely.

Sakura pulled him up with surprising strength and they crossed the room. She threw the curtain aside to reveal a queen-sized mattress…on the floor. The bedside table next to it looked almost comical.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Wow."

"I only moved in a few weeks ago, I haven't had any time to get a frame!" Sakura protested.

"You can have people do this shit _for_ you," he said. "Jesus Christ, Sakura."

"I know, but I like doing stuff for myself," she protested.

Sasuke kissed her. "Fucking stupid," he said against her mouth.

"Oh, shut up," Sakura said, and she pulled him down onto the mattress.

Sasuke tore his t-shirt off and Sakura did the same with her tank top, revealing a black lace bra. Already this was much more than it had been at the club.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asked her.

"Oh yeah," Sakura said. She pulled apart for a second and looked at him. "You've done this before, right?"

"You asking if I'm a virgin?" Sasuke muttered, eyes narrowed.

"I like to avoid the term 'virgin', because virginity's a stupid social construct," Sakura said. "But yeah."

"No," Sasuke said shortly. There had been other girls, never in situations that he'd been particularly proud of. Then he looked at her, on the verge of a smirk. "Are you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Sakura said. "No, I'm not. I mean, my most popular songs are about break-ups. I'd better have at least a little experience."

Well, that wasn't that surprising considering how experienced she was in the everything-else portion of this. Still, Sasuke found himself wondering who the guys had been, in those circumstances. He automatically hated all of them.

"Write what you know and all that," Sakura added.

Sasuke shrugged. "You don't have to." Most of Shikamaru's lyrics just came from random places.

"Oh, I know. But life gives you a lot of stuff to work with." Sakura shrugged and then frowned at him. "This seems like too deep of a pre-sex conversation." She was straddling his legs, and Sasuke smirked. He ran a hand down her side and Sakura shivered. "God."

Then she leaned forward and kissed him hard, her legs slamming his together. Sakura really was deceptively strong; Sasuke realized he had to stop underestimating that part of her. And then they were stripping off their remaining clothes and Sakura's hands were gripping his waist, and the mattress was pushed flat under their combined weight.

* * *

They both fell back on the bed, panting. Sakura ran a hand through her hair. "God," she said, sighing.

Sasuke grinned, and it sent a rush of heat through her all over again. "You gonna scream my name again?" He said.

"I wasn't screaming, asshole. I moaned. And so did you, and not quietly."

A red flush crept over Sasuke's cheeks, and (Sakura would never tell him this, because she didn't want to face his wrath) she thought it made him look unbearably cute. Who knew Sasuke Uchiha still had the ability to blush?

And then he turned to her and raised an eyebrow and _fuck_, why was he so ridiculously attractive? His chest was still rising and falling fast, and it made Sakura smile. They'd gone at it hard, and neither of them regretted it (at least not right now). She'd just wanted to _feel_ him, and she'd done more than that.

"Don't give me that look," Sakura said.

"What look?" He said, smirking. He reached an arm around her and Sakura moved closer.

"Once you get past the hostility, you're such a _flirt_," Sakura said, shaking her head.

Sasuke glared at her. "Yeah right," he muttered. "You seen yourself?"

"Your strategy of turning things back on me is not effective," Sakura whispered. "So you have to stop trying." She was rewarded with the slight upward quirk of Sasuke's lips.

She pushed herself up, and so did Sasuke. "I'm just going to the bathroom," she said. "You know, the pee routine."

Sasuke raked a hand through his hair and shook his head. "Don't need to know the details."

Sakura laughed and then got up, turning her back on him but knowing he was watching her body. She could feel his eyes on her butt, and it sent a pleasant shiver through her. Instinctively she snatched her bra and underwear off the floor. Suddenly she felt modest, for whatever reason. But Sasuke had averted his eyes as soon as she'd made it clear she was slightly uncomfortable. Sakura turned and gave him a slight smile and then ducked out behind the curtain. She really needed to find a more permanent solution for bedroom walls.

When she pulled back the curtain a minute later and saw him there, lying on her mattress and looking completely cool, she let out a slight laugh that probably sounded crazy. Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry," she said, waving a hand. "I'm just, uh. Realizing this is kind of weird." Sasuke Uchiha being on her mattress, that is.

"Crazy," Sasuke muttered.

"I can't help it," Sakura said. She grinned and flopped down next to him. Sasuke's arm went around her automatically, and the whole thing seemed weirdly normal. "Good thing I'm almost as famous as you, right?"

"Tch. You wish," Sasuke said.

Sakura laughed and then traced the black lightning pattern down his arm. "Hey, serious question. Why only one sleeve of tattoos?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at the random inquiry. "Hn. Didn't want two."

"That's fair." Sakura said. "What's special about your right arm, though? Is it guitar-related?"

Sasuke nodded, looking surprised that she'd guessed right. "Didn't want to do the left, because of playing. Too inconvenient."

"You really put your guitar's needs above everyone else, don't you," Sakura said. Teasing him was way too easy, even now. Was that a good thing? "I don't know if that's healthy."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Annoying."

Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder, because it felt natural. Sasuke stiffened for a moment at the gesture, and then relaxed. He was warm, and still shirtless, and both weren't bad. Actually, lying next to him was extremely comfortable. So comfortable that she felt herself drifting off, until…Oh no.

* * *

"You're gonna have to leave really soon," Sakura murmured. Her eyes had been closed, but now they were open.

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"My hair and makeup person is coming over at nine thirty to try out things for the awards show in a few weeks. It's the only time that worked."

_Fuck. _"You didn't say that earlier," Sasuke muttered.

"I forgot," Sakura said, feeling like an idiot.

Sasuke reached for his shirt and shrugged it on.

"Hey. I'm sorry," Sakura said.

"I know. Whatever, it's fine." He smirked.

"Call me?" Sakura asked him. "I'm really busy the next few days, but I should be free in the evening. Or next week."

"Aa." Sasuke said. "See you."

"Bye," Sakura said.

"And get a real bed," he added.

He heard Sakura snort, but didn't look back at her as he left. He had a feeling that if he met her eyes, it would be a hundred times harder to leave.

* * *

Sakura got in the shower as soon as Sasuke left, to feel clean (or at least less dirty) before Shizune came over. She had a feeling Shizune would know anyway, because for whatever reason she could sense these things, but it didn't hurt to try composing herself.

He'd been surprisingly gentle with all of it, Sakura thought as she shampooed her hair. Even with all the heat with which they'd gone at it, Sasuke hadn't been at all rough. Gentleness seemed like the opposite of Sasuke Uchiha on the surface, but there it was.

Just thinking about that made her smile. She was never going to bring it up with him, but now Sakura knew better than ever that Sasuke Uchiha wasn't all roughness.

He was also very good at sex. Actually, it had been some of the best sex she'd had in a long time. Not without its awkwardness, but that was a given. He knew how to find every spot that made her gasp. Granted, she could do it to him just as easily, but she'd had practice.

_What, as if he hasn't? _She asked herself, and then snorted. It was Sasuke Uchiha. No matter how aloof he was, he'd obviously had a lot of experience. One-night stands, probably; that was what people did in this business if you needed some kind of break. But despite the crazed night at the club with Sasuke, Sakura had never been able to stomach that kind of thing. The guys she'd been with before this (two) had both been long-term. For a while at least.

There was no way Sasuke could keep a relationship hidden from the press for a long period of time—Oh God. Never mind. It had been, what, five weeks since they'd gotten together? If 'together' was the right word, because they'd never had a real conversation about it.

No, they were together. They'd agreed on as much, hadn't they? And the way he acted around her (and vice versa) told Sakura that Sasuke wasn't a 'fuck and done' kind of guy. At least not with her. He'd taken her to his apartment, for God's sake. His bandmates knew about her now.

_Stop being so insecure_, Sakura told herself sternly. She shut the water off and hopped out. By the time Shizune knocked, she was dressed and looked (to her satisfaction) like she'd been home alone all night, and hadn't done anything gossip-worthy.

* * *

The only good thing about leaving Sakura's apartment before morning was that it spared Sasuke the smirks and jokes from his idiot bandmates. None of them had been around when he'd gotten home that night, so Sasuke had been able to go back to his room in peace after taking a shower. Sakura's scent had been in his hair and clothes, and it was a relief to wash it off and feel slightly more normal. Still, a much bigger part of him than he'd ever admit wished he was back on her stupid mattress. Not even having sex, though that had been good.

God, what was wrong with him? Since when did he just like being with someone? Sex was a good release, but just lying on a bed with her? What the fuck _was_ that? For some reason it had felt more intimate than the sex.

"Jesus," Sasuke muttered, toweling off his hair roughly and pulling on a fresh t-shirt and pants. He needed to get his mind off Sakura. At least he'd been able to leave quickly. He hadn't wanted to look like he cared all that much...that would be dangerous. Everything they'd done had felt way too good.

He didn't see Sakura for a few days, let alone talk to her on the phone. It was a Friday morning when he called her, a week after they'd been at her apartment together; she had texted him to say she didn't have much time that week and Sasuke hadn't objected.

"You doing anything tomorrow?" Sasuke asked her, turning a guitar pick over and over in his hands. He was in his bedroom, but the apartment was unusually quiet. Naruto and Kiba had gone out do who knows what, and Sasuke didn't know where Shikamaru was. Probably sleeping. They weren't scheduled to go into the studio, which meant a free day.

"Actually I have an unofficial day off, finally." Sakura said, sounding happy. "I was just going to stay home and try to write. But there's some construction going on next door that's really distracting."

"You want to come over? Practice room's free." And he was itching to see her, despite trying to convince himself otherwise.

There was a pause. "Seriously?"

"Hn. Why not."

"Okay." He could hear her smile.

* * *

Two hours later, there was a knock on the apartment door (Sasuke had buzzed her in a minute ago). He went to open it, revealing Sakura, who looked tiny with a large guitar case strapped to her back.

"Hey," she said, giving him a slight smile. She was wearing a Sand Siblings t-shirt, which Sasuke thought was kind of amusing.

"Hi," Sasuke said.

There was an awkwardness in the air between them, and they avoided each other's eyes. Sasuke had a feeling that they were both thinking about the last time they'd seen each other, when they had both been naked. It felt perversely similar to the morning after they had hooked up in the club, which was ridiculous.

"So, you going to let me in?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Aa." Sasuke rolled his eyes and led the way down the hall to the practice room. He pulled two stools out of the corner for them, and they sat down. Normally Sasuke liked silence, but this felt slightly weird.

As soon as Sakura had pulled out her acoustic guitar and started to tune, however, the feeling dissipated. Music could fix anything, apparently. Or at least be a distraction for a while.

Sakura started strumming a melody that was all too familiar: the band's song Drained. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and Sakura grinned at him.

Then she started playing around on the bridge, and Sasuke couldn't resist getting his acoustic guitar.

He hadn't pulled it out in a long time, but he found it under his bed and brought it back into the room. Sakura fiddled while he tuned. It was funny; even with the bright pink hair, when Sakura was dressed down and hunched over a guitar, the way she liked it, Sasuke never would've pegged her as a pop star. Maybe that was the point, though...He shouldn't be pegging her as anything.

Sasuke picked up the melody where she'd left off. Sakura joined in, harmonizing. It sounded good, and Sasuke couldn't help nodding along. He riffed for a bit while Sakura played the bass chords and watched him.

"Your turn," he said.

"Okay," Sakura said, surprised. "This'll be embarrassing, though."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and started playing chords. Sakura shook her head and then started riffing, fingers moving hesitantly at first and then just going for it. She stopped after a minute. "Alright, that's it. This isn't my strong suit."

"Whatever," Sasuke said, irritated with how modest she was. "You wanna sing?"

"Um…Really?" Sakura raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"Uh, sure." She looked slightly embarrassed.

Sasuke started playing the opening chords of Drained again, and Sakura looked at him, surprised. "Your song?"

"Why not."

"I don't know, it'd be weird, wouldn't it?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"Okay, fine." Sakura waved a hand. "Let's just do it."

Sasuke shook his head and then started again. Sakura started the first verse, and he almost wanted to stop playing just to hear her voice. She'd started playing too, probably because it gave her something else to do.

They'd played acoustic versions of the song before, but it took on a whole other identity in Sakura's voice. She knew most of the words, but Sasuke didn't think he would've been paying enough attention to the words if he didn't know them so well. The feelings coming through in her voice overpowered everything else.

When they finished, Sakura sat back and bit her lip, and then smiled hesitantly. "That was fun."

"Sounded good," Sasuke said, even though it had sounded more than good. "You cover any of our songs before?"

"Just for fun. I've been wanting to record a cover of Wake Up and Smell the Poison, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be legal."

"Tch." She was probably right, but immediately Sasuke wanted to hear her sing it. "Want to do one of yours?"

"Do you _know_ any of my songs?" Sakura asked him, surprised.

"One or two," Sasuke said, shrugging. "Easy enough to figure out." He was definitely giving away too much already.

"Right," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "Okay. You pick."

"No, you. I'll figure out the chords."

"Fine." Sakura adjusted her position and started strumming something fast. Sasuke smirked and watched her fingers, picking up the movements. When she started singing, however, he almost froze. It was a song he didn't recognize, one that hadn't been on her album. He liked it immediately; despite the quick beat, it was darker than her other stuff.

Sakura finished with a flourish and raised her eyebrows. "Not bad," she said, eyeing his guitar.

Sasuke realized with horror that a cocky Sakura was an immediate turn-on. He rolled his eyes at her smirk. "What song is that?"

"It's called 'Screws.' I wrote it a while ago but it didn't make it onto the album."

"Why not?" Sasuke said, eyes narrowed.

"The people with the power didn't like it. Too depressing, maybe?"

"It's good," Sasuke muttered. He almost said 'put it on your next album', but stopped himself. That seemed like too much.

"Thanks," Sakura said, eyebrows raised slightly. "That, um, means a lot. Coming from you." There was no trace of teasing in her voice. She looked away, back down at her guitar, and played a few notes. "But they're not gonna—"

The door burst open just then, and Naruto barged in. "Dude. You guys sound _good_," Naruto said, wide-eyed. "I was listening from outside."

"I thought this room was soundproof," Sakura said, looking back up at Sasuke. The moment that had just passed between them was gone, and she looked amused.

"It is," Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"I just got back and I saw you guys in here, so I opened the door while you were playing," Naruto said. "Couldn't resist. Don't worry, I wasn't listening when you guys were talking, but I wanted to get in here before you started making out so I could ask—"

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke said.

"Anyway. Can we join in? The other guys are here and they definitely want to."

Sasuke looked to Sakura. Honestly, he didn't think it was a bad idea. His music side was taking over and he couldn't help wanting to hear Sakura with the whole band.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome," Sakura said, eyes wide.

"Sure," Sasuke said to Naruto.

"_Yes_! Hold on, I'll get them!" Naruto said, running out. He came back a minute later with Kiba and Shikamaru, which made Sasuke highly suspicious that all of them had been eavesdropping.

Sakura looked overwhelmed at the sight of all of them, and Sasuke couldn't help smirking.

"Hey, Sakura," Shikamaru said.

"Yo, Sakura. What's up?" Kiba said, grinning at her.

"Um, not much." Sakura said.

"This is gonna be great," Kiba said, hooking a foot around a stool and dragging it over next to Sasuke.

Shikamaru hooked up a microphone next to the piano. "Here, Sakura, this is for you."

"Do I...Need that?" Sakura asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah. You haven't heard Naruto in close quarters," Shikamaru said. "Plus these two like to outdo each other." He motioned to Sasuke and Kiba. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sakura grinned and pulled her chair closer to Shikamaru's keyboard. "You know the words to 'Machine Stops'?" He asked Sakura. "That'd be sick with your voice."

"Yeah, I think so," Sakura said. "Hold on, let me just look it up." She got out her phone to find the lyrics, and Shikamaru smirked.

"You guys good with that?" Shikamaru said.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, duh," Kiba said.

"Let's do it!" Naruto said.

Sakura met Sasuke's eyes, giving him an almost disbelieving smile, and then picked up her guitar.

* * *

**A/N: **_Unintentionally set myself up for two bedroom updates in a row lol so if this seems sparse it's because my smut well has temporarily run dry (who knew that was possible). But don't worry, there'll be more to come. :)_


	9. Lights and Camera

Over the next three weeks, Sasuke and Sakura rarely saw each other in person. Sakura's schedule was ten times more hectic than his own, with awards season (by far the worst part of the year) coming up and therefore parties and press calls and promotions scheduled all day, every day.

Sasuke and his bandmates, however, were deep into the recording process. Their next album (what would be their fourth) had a March release date, followed by a summer tour that was presumably already sold out. They had about half the songs finished, and were doing well considering the way it could've gone...But having production people on their backs wasn't helping. Even Kakashi wanted them to be done; normally he was patient, but this had been the longest period of time between albums, and the hype was at an uncontrollable level.

Still, Sasuke knew he didn't have it nearly as bad as Sakura, who was writing and recording in between everything else. She actually had to participate in marketing, something Sasuke hadn't had to do in years.

The first real free time they both had was a morning in early December. Sasuke had snuck out to meet Sakura at her apartment. Today was the unofficial start of the awards season, which would last on and off through early March.

Sakura answered the door wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. There were circles under her eyes and she wasn't wearing much makeup. She didn't seem to care about trying with him.

_But it's not like she has to try with anyone_, Sasuke thought, exasperated. She looked good no matter what she was wearing. Still, the fact that she was so informal with him felt more personal, somehow. _Don't be ridiculous. _

"Hi," she said, giving him a tired but warm smile.

"Hey," Sasuke said, coming inside.

"Oh, I have to show you something," Sakura said, grinning suddenly. She grabbed his hand and led him to her curtained corner. "Look!" She beamed and motioned to the brand new bedframe.

"About time," Sasuke muttered, smirking.

"Yep. I only got it two days ago, and I haven't done much sleeping, so it's been a bit neglected. I'm sure it'll get good use eventually, though." She smirked at and Sasuke had the urge to pull her onto the bed then and there.

"Tch," he said, hoping that his face didn't betray his thoughts.

Then Sakura's phone buzzed loudly. She pulled it out of her pocket and sighed. "We haven't got much time, I'm going to have to go soon."

"Go where?" Sasuke asked frowning.

"To get ready," she said, raising her eyebrows as if he was missing something. "The Studio Awards are tonight…?"

"It's too fucking early to get ready," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, but I'm a girl. And that means I have to spend hours in a makeup chair." Sakura said. "Are you going tonight?" She frowned at him.

Sasuke nodded. "Don't want to, though."

"Yeah, neither do I, really." Sakura sighed. "I just haven't felt too good lately."

"Aa. I can tell." She'd been talking to him over the phone a few days ago about a few recording sessions she'd had. Clearly she wasn't the one in charge of this album, and the thought made Sasuke furious (though he hadn't told her that).

She was also incredibly stressed. Sasuke remembered the feeling, from when they'd been getting big. Somehow, you got used to it, though it was no use telling someone that. Sakura was right in the middle of it, clearly playing it off as not a big deal. Sasuke didn't press her about it (emotional confessions were not something he wanted to deal with), but that didn't mean he didn't notice.

"It's just that they want me to do my, like, peppiest song with all of the backup dancers and a whole set. It's ridiculous."

"Tch. Dumb." Sasuke felt a powerful surge of irritation for whatever idiots were on her team.

"Yeah…Whatever. No use getting worked up about it, I guess." Sakura shrugged. "You're not performing, right?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Presenting some award."

Sakura's phone buzzed again. "Shit. I have to go."

"I'll get out," Sasuke said, smirking.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

She walked over to the door with him.

"Good luck." Sasuke said.

"Thanks," Sakura said, smiling.

They kissed for a minute and then Sasuke left.

* * *

His own preparations were almost nonexistent in comparison to Sakura's. When Sasuke got back to the apartment, several people were there laying out clothes. Kakashi was in the living room with a cup of coffee, reading a book.

"Please wear what's been put out for you," Kakashi said to Sasuke without looking up.

"Hn." Sasuke passed by and went into the kitchen, where Naruto was talking nonstop to some stylist about the color orange. He'd be wearing his trademark bright orange suit, because no one could convince him otherwise, ever.

Kiba and Shikamaru were in the front room with other people. There had to be fifteen people in the apartment, and Sasuke only knew who half of them were. He hated days like this.

"Sasuke?" A small woman approached him, obviously nervous. "We put out a few outfits on the table for you, if you'd like to select one of them…"

Sasuke could feel Kakashi's eyes on him from the doorway of the living room. "Aa. Thanks," he muttered.

He picked the least offensive, obnoxious choices: a gray dress shirt and black jacket. The last thing Sasuke cared about was wearing something interesting, or following whatever dumb shoe or pants trend was currently popular. So he stuck to basics. As long as his face was out there, no one seemed to care.

* * *

The band arrived on the red carpet to screams from the piles of fans lined up behind the ropes on either side of the road. Sasuke ignored them, and attempted to also ignore the cameras that had immediately started flashing on all sides.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Firestyle has _arrived_!" Sasuke heard some commentator say, and he rolled his eyes. The entrance to the theater looked extremely far away from here; rows and rows of photographers blocked the path like ants.

This was by far the worst part of awards shows, the way they were shuffled down the carpet by an endless stream of press people. Kakashi was lurking in the back of that crowd somewhere, but he preferred to stay out of it.

"Can you guys pose together?" Someone called. "We want group shots!"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke's arm and yanked him closer to the three of them. They stood frozen there for what felt like five minutes while the cameras flashed at them, burning into his vision. Sasuke fixed his eyes above them, a strategy he'd worked out ages ago so it wasn't completely blinding. His first time on a red carpet had been so completely overwhelming, he'd almost had a full panic. It was much easier to do now.

They moved along the carpet slowly, Sasuke not paying attention to much. He started working out chords in his head, something that he'd learned to do when he was stuck in places like this. It was calming.

"Hey." Naruto nudged Sasuke, surprisingly inconspicuous. "Guess who's here." He shot Sasuke a mischievous grin. Sasuke restrained from rolling his eyes and kept walking, at the same time following Naruto's gaze further down the carpet to where Sakura had just appeared.

If Sasuke hadn't been so good at concealing any emotion, he would've stopped right in his tracks.

She looked gorgeous. She was wearing a pale gold dress that reached her feet; her hair was pulled back from her face in a braid that wound around her head and ended in a perfectly straight ponytail. Her makeup was slightly more dramatic than usual, but not enough to be unrecognizable. He just stared at her for a moment as she posed for the photographers. She was good at this, despite being so stupidly modest about her music. She knew exactly how to work the cameras.

Sakura was swallowed by a crowd of people streaming into the theater on the way in, so Sasuke didn't say anything to her (not that he could've—the press would be all over it if they even say hello to each other).

After a series of thirty-second, useless interviews, the band was finally led to their seats inside. Everyone was mingling, but this wasn't the type of thing Sasuke was good at. Sakura was sitting far away, in the front row of a different section. Sasuke couldn't see her over the sea of heads. But then the lights dimmed, and whoever was hosting the thing (some actor named Asuma Sarutobi) came out to loud applause. Sasuke settled back in his seat, already bored by this whole thing.

* * *

The awards were interspersed with performances, primarily by pop artists who weren't particularly impressive. Some people were lip-synching and not doing a very good job of it.

"This is sad," Shikamaru muttered to Sasuke at one point.

"Aa," Sasuke said, frowning at the stage. Some teen singer was attempting to stay on time with the recorded track behind him.

"Give him a break, he's probably nervous," Naruto said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

The host came out again immediately following the kid, and after a long speech gave some award to the singer Karui. Sasuke had never understood just using a first name for performing, by now it was completely unoriginal and—

"And now, a performance everyone has been anticipating…This girl has made quite a stir, and for good reason. Sakura Haruno!" He said, and Sasuke sat up straighter, his train of thought gone.

Sakura came out wearing an extremely tight, extremely short silver dress, and to Sasuke it looked all wrong on her. But it was just her and a stool onstage, along with a mic stand; no backup dancers and no weird set. It looked like she'd gotten her way after all. Or at least a compromise, because she didn't have her guitar (or a piano). She looked almost naked without an instrument near her.

A light piano track started to play. It was a ballad, with a lot of soul thanks to Sakura's voice. And of course, despite the music being prerecorded, she sounded ridiculously good. Sasuke couldn't keep himself from smiling slightly. Everyone had their full attention on her, well-known musicians and random audience members alike. Two months ago it would've annoyed him to no end.

Sakura finished to huge applause. She gave a little wave, and then the lights faded to black. He didn't see her leave the stage.

A few minutes later, the band was being rushed backstage to present the next award. Sasuke didn't realize until he glanced at the list of nominees that it was for best new artist (one of the bigger awards). And Sakura was one of the nominees. She hadn't said anything to him about it. _Of course._

"Ten seconds," someone said, and then they were walking out into the blinding stage lights to loud applause.

"Hi. We're Firestyle." Shikamaru said, giving a lazy wave to the audience, who cheered.

Naruto jumped in front of the microphone. "We're here to present the award for Best New Artist. Which we won two years ago." He grinned.

"Yeah. Move out of the way." Kiba said, rolling his eyes. He took the envelope from Naruto's hands and glanced up at the teleprompter. "This year, the award goes to…" He opened the envelope, glanced at the rest of them, and unfolded the paper. Then he grinned.

"Sakura Haruno!" Shikamaru, Kiba, and Naruto said. Sasuke smirked. It wasn't like there was any contest.

The applause was huge. The spotlight went to Sakura, in the second row. She was blushing bright red as she got up, lifting the hem of her dress and accepting hugs from several people around her. She made her way up to the stage as the applause continued.

Kiba handed her the award with a grin and Naruto gave her a hug. When Sakura turned to Sasuke, he thought for a wild moment that she was going to kiss him on the mouth in front of all these people. But Sakura gave him a peck on the cheek and a wide smile, looking at him for a fraction of a second longer than the rest of his bandmates. Then the four of them were shepherded off the stage and Sakura stepped forward to the microphone.

"I—Wow. This is amazing." She smiled at the audience, who were all completely under her spell. She looked speechless, and Sasuke smirked. "I didn't really prepare a speech but first of all I need to thank my family. Mom and Dad, I know it was hard but you made sure that music would always be a possibility and I'll never be able to thank you enough. And everyone who's helped me in this business, I owe so much to you. And I know so many people say this, but to everyone watching out there: this _right here_ is evidence that your ridiculous, wild dreams _can_ come true. Thank you so much!"

One of Sakura's songs started playing as she was escorted offstage.

* * *

Sasuke met Sakura at her apartment for an early dinner the next night; the band was going into the studio that night for a late recording session.

"You didn't happen to get any calls from your agent or anything today, did you?" Sakura asked. They were sitting on either side of her coffee table, eating takeout. She was smiling slightly.

"Uh…No." Sasuke frowned. "Why?"

Sakura slid a copy of some tabloid over to him. Someone had caught the moment when she kissed him on the cheek the night before.

IS SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN THOSE TWO? The obnoxious headline read.

"And to think I thought I was being subtle." Sakura said.

"Nothing's subtle for tabloids." Sasuke said darkly.

"Yeah. My manager cornered me about it."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"I hadn't told him, so it had to come out. He had a field day with it."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke said, frowning.

"It's the big story he wants. He said he wouldn't get involved, though. Thank God."

"Hn." Sasuke didn't know much about Sakura's manager, other than assumptions he'd gained from interpreting things she said, but it was repulsive how much control someone could have over your personal life, if they wanted to. But at the same time that was the business they were in; everything about you was marketed. You were a story, sometimes a fictional one, and someone was always too eager for the next chapter.

"Anyway, did you see anything about us?" Sakura asked.

"I saw one. Naruto showed it to me." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes and showing her a link on his phone. He hadn't been planning on saying anything to her, though Naruto had been practically bouncing up and down about it that morning. "He wouldn't shut up about it."

IS SASUSAKU A THING? The huge headline read, next to a grainy, badly photoshopped picture of the two of them.

"Sasusaku? Is that seriously what they're calling us?" Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"Apparently," Sasuke said darkly. The thought was already haunting him.

Sakura didn't say anything for a minute. Then, "You think we should just come out and say it? It would probably make things easier."

"No it wouldn't," Sasuke said, thinking of the shitload of press that came out when some paparazzi caught Naruto and Hinata kissing after a show. "They'd never shut up." For Sasuke and Sakura the press would be a hundred times worse.

"Yeah, you're right." Sakura shrugged, still looking slightly unsure. Then she rolled her eyes. "God. _Sasusaku_. That sounds so ridiculous."

* * *

**A/N:** _Couldn't resist having fun with the name lol. Speaking of which, happy sasusaku month! I'm going to be posting a bunch of one-shots to my tumblr for the daily prompts, so check them out._

_Thanks for reading :) _


	10. Stay the Night

"He doesn't want to make it public," Sakura said. She was lying on her bed, talking to Ino late one night a few days later.

"Of course he doesn't. You realize the explosion it's going to cause when you announce it? Because that's what going to happen when everyone finds out that the two most ridiculously attractive and talented people in the entire freaking music world are _dating_. Total explosion. Kaboom."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "You actually think so?"

"Jesus, Forehead, do you know who Sasuke Uchiha is? Do you know who _you_ are? You're the dream mates of just about every person out there."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You know, on second thought Sasuke Uchiha is probably the only person any of your admirers will allow you to date. Just because of hotness levels. Anyone else would be beneath you."

"_Wow_, Pig. Thanks, I guess?"

Ino sighed. "You're in for it, Forehead."

"Which is why we're not having any kind of press conference to announce it in the near future."

"Ha ha. All you'd need to do is, like, drop a quote about Firestyle and they'd figure it out immediately."

Sakura sighed. "I think that's an exaggeration."

"_Right_. But anyway, how's it going? Just in general, I mean."

"I'm exhausted all the time and I'm always going somewhere, but...this is where I wanted to be. I feel like I'm really starting to get there. You know, reaching my goals and everything. It's a bit different than I thought it would be, but I guess that's to be expected."

"That's awesome," Ino said. "And of course you're reaching your goals. You just won a huge award, for God's sake. A bunch of us watched the ceremony back home, we had a party. Also, I nearly snorted out whatever I was drinking when you kissed Sasuke, I thought you should know that." Sakura could hear her grin. "Didn't think you'd be that daring. But I guess it's impossible to resist when it's Sasuke Uchiha."

"Oh, shut up."

"Speaking of Sasuke, how is _that_ going?"

"I'm not giving you any gory details, if that's what you're asking for. It's been...Good. Really good." Sakura smiled.

"Okay, spare me the sappiness. Or sexiness, whatever it is. I should go, we've got an early rehearsal tomorrow."

"Alright. Same time next week?"

"Of course. Good luck with fame in the meantime."

"Thanks," Sakura said, shaking her head. They said goodbye and hung up. Sakura settled back on the couch and texted Sasuke. Ino had been right, just like Sasuke.

* * *

"We have to get this. Tonight." Shikamaru said, his voice muffled. His head was resting on his hands, his ponytail coming undone.

"Dude. It's been four hours. We're not gonna figure it out," Kiba said, digging a hand through his hair in frustration.

It was past ten, and the four of them were still in the studio, trying to finish a song that had been giving them trouble for ages.

"We need to finish it," Shikamaru said, and for once his voice wasn't a lazy monotone.

Naruto banged the bass drum. "Then stop trying to give up and let's do it already!"

"Easier said than done," Sasuke muttered, irritated. His guitar felt dead in his hands; nothing was coming to him. They had a full set of lyrics, and Kiba had recorded a bass line, but it hadn't seemed right.

Sessions like this were awful. If they walked into the studio with almost nothing, it usually went down from there. By now they were all exhausted and annoyed.

Naruto started shuffling out an uneven beat, clearly as frustrated as the rest of them. Sasuke's mind turned to Sakura, his fingers dropping away from the frets. She'd be asleep by now, probably; her schedule was crazy and she probably slept whenever she had free time. He wished he was back in her apartment with her, that he'd never had to leave.

The drums filtered into Sasuke's brain and suddenly he was listening to the strange rhythm that Naruto was making. He couldn't get Sakura's smile out of his mind, and the smirk she'd given him when she had showed him her new bed.

"That's it," Sasuke said suddenly. Shikamaru's head came up, clearly surprised, and Kiba frowned at Sasuke. He had surprised _himself_ by saying it, but out of nowhere the beat clicked. This was what they needed. "Keep playing that, Naruto," he muttered. His fingers danced over the strings for a second, nodding to the beat, and then he started strumming a few chords. His feet found the petals on the ground and he messed around with a few.

"Holy shit," Kiba said. "This is good." He started playing along, following Sasuke's lead. Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru, who was nodding along and clearly thinking.

"Okay," Shikamaru said. "I can get behind this. Take it a little lighter, though."

Sasuke nodded, toning down his sound, and Shikamaru joined in with a few chords on the piano. He started singing the chorus a moment later, and Sasuke altered his pattern slightly. Naruto let out a whoop, and Kiba was grinning as he slid his fingers up and down his bass.

They had to pause to figure out the verses, but it was like they'd suddenly started going eighty miles an hour after being out of gas. Shikamaru programmed the recording software to get the chords down before any of them forgot, and Kiba plugged in the microphones.

An hour later, they had four demo versions.

* * *

All of them left the studio feeling the giddy high of success. Kiba passed around beers when they got home, and Sasuke accepted one because he was in an unusually light mood. They sat around the living room, not really talking but all extremely satisfied.

Naruto was scrolling through some feed on his phone, chuckling. "Nice couple name, by the way," he said to Sasuke. "Everyone's all over it." He showed Sasuke his phone and an endless scroll of speculation about Sasuke and Sakura.

"You're never going to drop this, are you," Sasuke muttered.

"Nope!"

"They're missing one headline, though," Naruto said, a wide grin spreading over his face.

"What." Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"'Turns Out Sasuke Uchiha Isn't Asexual.'" Naruto cackled and Sasuke glared at him.

"Would it matter if he was?" Shikamaru said in a bored tone of voice from the couch, where he was lying with his eyes closed.

"No, I'm just _saying_ I think the _media_ thinks he is." Naruto grinned an infuriating grin at Sasuke. "But when they find out he's secretly doing it with Sakura—"

"Some day I will pound you into a bloody pulp." Sasuke muttered, giving Naruto a death stare. "And you will regret everything." He stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Aw, really, teme? It's not even midnight."

"I'm fucking tired, dobe. Jesus." Sasuke headed for his bedroom and glanced at his phone. There was a text from Sakura from a few hours before.

**You were right. We should definitely keep it private.**

On a spur of the moment, music-high instinct, Sasuke called her.

"Sasuke?" Sakura's voice was tired, and he realized he'd probably woken her up.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Just wanted to talk to you. Had a good day in the studio."

"That's great," Sakura said. "Don't apologize, I wasn't sleeping or anything. Do you want to come over?"

"What?" She'd said it so naturally, Sasuke didn't think he'd heard her right.

"Do you want to come over, I said." She sounded amused. "You're not too far away."

"Aa. Sure."

"Great."

Sasuke felt a sudden rush of energy. He left his bedroom and passed the living doorway without attracting the attention of his bandmates, sneaking out through the front door soundlessly.

* * *

Forty minutes later he was knocking on the door of Sakura's apartment.

Sakura opened the door wearing a sports bra and underwear. "Hi," she said, smiling slightly.

"Uh…Hey." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"It was comfortable," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "So. You want to stay the night this time?"

"Maybe," Sasuke said, starting to smirk.

"Cool." For a moment they were just looking at each other, and then they moved at the same time. A minute later they were on her bed, Sakura's hands in his hair and Sasuke's arms around his waist.

It was a good thing she'd already taken off her clothes, he thought a while later.

"So, was the bed up to your standards this time?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow. She was lying next to him, one arm dangling lazily off the edge of the bed.

"Wasn't bad," Sasuke said, shrugging.

"Asshole," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "Plenty of people would kill to be on my mattress, so consider yourself lucky."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Thought you didn't have an ego."

"Well, it's nothing in comparison to yours," Sakura said. "Don't even deny it." She grinned, and Sasuke pulled her closer and kissed her so he didn't have to look at her (irresistible) cocky expression.

Then they went at it again, until they were both breathing hard and had to stop. "God," Sakura said, falling into the pillow beside him. Sasuke smirked.

She got up a moment later and then disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes. When she came out she was yawning. "I'm done for tonight," she said, getting back on the bed. "I'm really tired."

"Tch," Sasuke said. Truth be told, he was tired, too. It had to be almost two in the morning by now. But other than that, he felt good.

Sakura pulled the covers up around her, unintentionally putting several layers of blankets between them. Sasuke knocked a few of them away, and she rolled over, moving closer to him. "This is sort of weird," she said. "We've never actually slept together..."

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered. He knew that too well, and didn't want to leave this bed. She didn't say anything else, but then Sasuke mentioned something he'd been thinking about earlier.

"We should write something together, sometime." For some reason it just seemed like the right thing to bring up.

"Hm. Yeah," Sakura said. Her eyes were closed, and she was already half-asleep. Sasuke watched her for a moment, listening to the sound of her breathing getting slower, and then pulled the blanket up around himself. He was asleep a few minutes later.

* * *

When he woke up, it took a second to realize where he was. Sakura's apartment was much brighter than his own; his curtains were thick and dark, whereas hers were white and gauzy and did nothing to keep the sun out.

The space in the bed beside him was rumpled but empty, and Sasuke sat up slowly and yawned. He'd slept well, even though it was clearly early in the morning.

The curtains next to the bed were pushed apart and Sakura stuck her head in. "Morning. I made coffee, you want some?" She smiled at him and it almost made him smile back.

"Aa. What time is it?"

"Almost eight. Sorry, I have somewhere to be this morning."

"Don't apologize," Sasuke muttered, getting up off the bed and pulling on his shirt from the day before. He followed her out into the little kitchen and Sakura poured him a mug of coffee. She was wearing a baggy t-shirt and her hair was piled up in a bun; not for the first time, it struck him how young she really looked.

"You _are_ twenty, right?" He asked her suddenly.

Sakura raised her eyebrows at the question and then looked slightly amused. "Yeah, I'm twenty. Makeup does a lot, doesn't it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Not what I meant."

Sakura laughed. "No, trust me, senior year of high school people would assume I was a freshman. It—" She was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Immediately Sasuke stiffened. "You expecting someone?"

"No, I'm not." Sakura looked worried. The knock came again, insistently, and she sighed. "Hold on." She went over to the door. "Who is it?"

"Oh good, you're up. It's Shizune. Sorry, I know I didn't call ahead but there are a few things I wanted to bring over for you."

_Fuck_, was all Sasuke could think. Sakura glanced over at him and then back at the door, clearly conflicted.

"Is this not a good time?" Shizune asked, sounding worried.

"I—No, it's alright," Sakura said. "It'll be fine," she mouthed to Sasuke, and he felt his stomach drop in discomfort. But there was no way out and now she was opening the door.

Shizune was holding a large pile of wrapped clothing. "God, I know it's way too early," she said to Sakura. "And your schedule's been so hectic, I was just thinking the other night that maybe we could—" She'd caught sight of Sasuke (still in only a t-shirt and boxers), and her eyes widened. "Oh! Oh."

"Um…" Sakura said, her face bright red. "Sasuke, this Shizune, my stylist. Shizune, Sasuke."

"Hi," Sasuke muttered. He had a feeling his face was as red as Sakura's.

"Nice to meet you," Shizune said, smiling. She gave Sakura an amused glance. "Shall I just leave these on the couch? It's a few options for the dinner tomorrow, you can try them on later."

"Uh, yeah. That'd be great," Sakura got out.

"Excellent," Shizune said. She glanced at Sasuke again but didn't say anything. She was surprisingly calm about the whole thing, Sasuke thought. No exclamations or gaping. Then again, she probably dealt with this sort of thing all the time. "Well, I'll just be going. Sorry for butting in, I had no idea…"

"Don't worry about it," Sakura said hastily. "But it would be great if you didn't…"

"My lips are sealed," Shizune said, smiling slightly. "I'll see you at the fitting tomorrow morning."

"Okay. Thanks," Sakura said.

Shizune left, and as soon as the door closed Sakura let out a sigh.

"Fuck," Sasuke said. This was not what he wanted, not at all. But of course the one night he'd stayed over, this had happened. What a stupid, _stupid_ idea, he should've left hours ago, when they'd finished.

"Don't freak out," Sakura said, planting herself in front of him and locking eyes. "I trust Shizune. If she says she won't say anything, she won't say anything." She frowned at his skeptical look. "I'm serious."

"Fine," Sasuke said. He had no choice but to take her word for it. Her manager already knew, anyway, and any smart person would assume that this sort of thing would be happening. "You trust your manager, right?"

"Yeah...I think so. But I think he's going to want us to go public with it eventually. On his terms. Or he'll get in contact with your manager and they'll figure something out."

"That's not gonna happen," Sasuke said darkly. Not if he had anything to say about it.

"Well, I don't know if you've got a choice," Sakura said.

"I do if Kakashi's involved." _Who knows about her manager, though_, he thought. Clearly Orochimaru was in a totally different category from Kakashi.

Suddenly Sasuke was struck with an idea.

"You want to write a song together?"

Clearly Sakura didn't remember him saying anything similar last night. "Seriously?" Her eyes were wide.

Sasuke shrugged. "Why not."

"No, I just—Yeah, that'd be awesome."

"You're performing at the Winter festival. We could do it together there."

"But wouldn't that be…I don't know, confirmation of this whole thing? I thought that's what we didn't want. It might make it, you know, a bit more obvious."

"Not necessarily," Sasuke said. "Just having fun." He wasn't going to let Sakura's manager have the say here, and playing one song together wouldn't be concrete evidence of anything for the public.

Sakura gave him a questioning grin, and then she laughed. "Okay. Let's do it."


	11. Is There Somewhere

"Alright," Sakura said, "I'm going to bring someone else on to help me with this next song." The crowd cheered and Sasuke watched Sakura smile on the backstage monitor. The Winter festival was held in one of Kumo's biggest arenas; it was an all-day affair, and Sakura was one of the last performers. "You all might know him, he's in a pretty well-known band called Firestyle."

The cheers got a hundred times bigger.

Sasuke smirked and walked out onstage, carrying a stool. As soon as he sat down the crowd quieted, as if they were afraid they would miss something.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

"So…This is Sasuke, if any of you didn't know," Sakura said into her microphone. People laughed.

"Ready?" She asked him quietly with a smile.

He nodded, readying his guitar. Better just to get it over with.

It was a slow song, and called for a quiet beginning. It was strange, playing so gently in front of so many people.

Sakura sang the first verse by herself and he improvised a little over the chords. Sasuke backed her up with a few harmonies and he saw her smile widen slightly, though she was looking down at her guitar. It made his stomach flip.

Even though it wasn't his thing, Sasuke knew he could sing, at least a little (he would _never_ sing lead for any of the band's songs), but he had no idea the reaction would be like this.

The crowd was almost completely silent through the second verse; Sasuke wasn't watching them because there was something about this, performing with her, that he really liked. It was the feeling he got when he was alone, just playing his guitar.

It was a good song, too, and they both knew it. They'd written it together in about two hours, sitting on the couch in Sakura's apartment late one night. The only other person who knew about it was Kakashi, because of necessity; even Sasuke knew that Kakashi had to sign off on any of his public appearances. But their main goal had been to surprise people, and it looked like it was working.

As they were nearing the end of the song, Sakura looked up at him with a smile. Sasuke played the final chord, softly.

The crowd erupted. The two of them just looked at each other, Sakura's smile growing.

The lights went down and Sasuke went offstage, leaving Sakura to finish her set.

* * *

"So, if anyone doubted you two being together before whatever you did at that concert, I'm pretty sure you guys shoved that out the window completely," Ino said, sounding amused. She and Sakura were on the phone later that night.

"Oh come on, people do duets all the time," Sakura said.

"Not duets like that."

"Don't be dramatic," Sakura said. "It was just a casual thing. It was amazing to collaborate with him, actually. Honestly, the music side feels completely separate from the relationship side of—"

Ino interrupted her with a snort.

"What? I'm serious!" Sakura said.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't start waxing poetic," Ino said.

"Wow, thanks," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

There was a pause. Then, "God, I'm being such a bitch, aren't I?"

Sakura grinned. "A little bit. Not much more than usual. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I've got the opposite problem from you. It couldn't be slower for me right now." Sakura could tell Ino was stressed. "I hate weeks like this."

"Something will come up. It always does," Sakura said. "Do you want me to—"

"No," Ino said immediately. "I've got contacts I can reach out to. And I have an audition lined up for next week. It's the waiting that kills me."

"I know the feeling," Sakura said. "Who's the audition for?"

"I don't want to jinx it. I'll tell you when it's over," Ino said, sounding amused. "It's someone big, though."

"Like, how big?"

"Someone on your level, Miss Popular."

"What is my level?"

"Oh, don't play dumb and naïve. You _know_ what your level is."

Sakura frowned. "Not really. I mean, I guess you could say I'm on the same level as—"

"Just stop," Ino said. "Seriously. Stop."

"So who's the audition for?"

"Karui." There was a split second pause. "_Damn_ it, Sakura!"

Sakura laughed. "It's gonna be great. That's amazing, Ino!"

"Yeah," Ino grumbled. "And if I don't get it, it's your fault."

"Fine. I'll take full responsibility," Sakura said, amused. She glanced at the clock and sighed. 1:22 am. "Hey, I just realized what time it is. I have to get up early tomorrow to go into the studio. Tell me everything about how the audition went?"

"Of course," Ino said smoothly. "No facial expression will be omitted."

"Good," Sakura said. "Talk to you soon."

"Yep. Good luck with the tabloids." Sakura heard the smirk in Ino's voice, and sighed.

* * *

"Phew," Sakura said, wiping her forehead. She fell on the bed next to Sasuke, breathing hard. It was a week later, and the storm wasn't quite ready to die down yet. The media had been aflame from the second their performance ended, and the clip of them performing viral had gone viral within a few hours.

Orochimaru hadn't been particularly pleased that she'd gone behind his back with something so big, but it wasn't like he could criticize the decision. Sakura knew that, at least publicity-wise, there wasn't much that would count as bigger news for her career.

In fact, she had probably underestimated the reaction that her and Sasuke playing music together would have. It wasn't the relationship part; it was the songwriting. As Orochimaru had said, "Sasuke Uchiha never does a single with anyone," making this news for the music world in general.

Sakura's phone buzzed, and she reached out for it lazily.

"What is it," Sasuke said, his voice attractively husky. They were lying on her bed, part of the usual routine they'd been slipping into. Sasuke came over as often as possible, and usually stayed until late at night.

"It's Ino," Sakura said, scrolling through the burst of messages. "Oh my God!"

"What."

"She got the job! They gave it to her right on the spot! Oh my God, this is awesome!" Sakura said, sitting up in excitement. She texted back several reply messages, trying to convey the excitement she was feeling. "She said she's been in production meetings all evening. Wow, that's fast."

"What job?" Sasuke said, pushing himself up too.

"Back-up dancer for Karui. I don't know when or where but God, this is amazing. This could be her breakthrough, finally."

"Hn. Karui's crazy," Sasuke said. "Met her at some show a while back."

Sakura glanced at him, raising her eyebrows. "Oh yeah?"

He gave her a questioning look, eyes narrowed. He was propping himself up on one arm and it showed his shoulder muscles in a way that was, well, extremely appealing.

"Are you saying that because she flirted with you?" Sakura asked, raising an eyebrow. "Just a guess."

"Tch. Of course you'd go right to that."

"Well, I'm assuming you repel all advances. Unless drunk, of course." She grinned at him.

"Look who's talking," he said in a low voice, starting to smirk.

_Jesus Christ. _"Tone it down," Sakura said, moving towards him so she was straddling his legs. "You don't want to be a hypocrite, do you?"

"Annoying," Sasuke said, pulling her down so their lips met. Sakura pushed her hands into his hair and they hit the pillow together.

A few minutes later, the rush died down and they both fell back again, lying side by side. Sasuke had his arm around her.

They just lay there for a while, but eventually Sasuke broke the silence with something Sakura hadn't expected. "Kakashi wants us to record the song," he said. Sakura turned towards him, meeting his slight frown.

"My team does, too," Sakura said. Orochimaru had told her the previous day, wearing that slight smirk (a look that she was starting to really dislike). "They're pushing it, but I didn't want to say anything."

"Hn," Sasuke said, frowning. "We're gonna have to."

"Do you want to?" Sakura raised her eyebrows. He sounded less than excited about it.

Sasuke shrugged. "We were stupid. Didn't think about the other consequences."

"Yeah," Sakura said, sighing.

He was staring at the ceiling, and looked vaguely annoyed. "I should've known."

"It's not a big deal," Sakura said. "Seriously. But if you don't want to record it, that's fine." It hurt her a little bit to say, but she didn't want to do it if the choice wasn't mutual.

* * *

"Of course I want to record it," Sasuke muttered. He'd take any chance he could to work with her in the studio, even if he'd never admit it.

"Okay," Sakura said, settling back onto the pillows. She leaned her head on his shoulder, her hair fanning out over his arm. "Maybe it was dumb, though. The whole live performance thing."

"Yeah, it was," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "Hey, do you think we should rent a place?" Sakura asked a few minutes later, looking up at him.

"What?"

"I mean, rent an apartment that's convenient for both of us. No one else would have to know about it, which means no interruptions…" He knew they were both thinking about the morning with Shizune a few weeks ago. "We wouldn't need that much space or anything," she said. "Just somewhere quiet."

"…Okay," Sasuke found himself agreeing immediately. "Sounds good."

"Cool." Sakura grinned. "I'll look around."

"Show me before you decide," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura rolled her eyes.

* * *

A few days later she sent him a link to a place downtown, near the band's studio. **Maybe**, Sasuke texted back, his phone glowing too brightly in his dark bedroom. Suddenly getting a place together seemed weirdly intimate. And this early, it was too big a step for his liking. Not to mention the place had been too small, anyway; barely two rooms, and not much natural light.

**Small, not enough light **he added, so it wouldn't seem so noncommittal. **Could do better. **

**Okay**, Sakura said, and he thought could see her amused smile. But a second later, she also added on to her message. **We don't have to do this**.

**It's fine**, Sasuke said. **Just don't want to rush into anything crappy. **

She didn't reply for a minute. Then, **You're right. **

It left a slightly uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, but Sasuke ignored it. She'd agreed with him, and Sakura would voice her doubts about his decisions if she had any. At least, he thought she would.

Up until now, everything had been simple. They met up when they could. Usually to spend time in her bed (though that seemed to be a mutual desire). It was casual. And he liked her much, much more than he wanted to. Since when had this gotten so important, in his mind?

God, why had he brought up writing a song together? It wasn't like him at all. He'd just been thinking about the joke in it all, laughing in the face of the media. And the chance to write with Sakura. He didn't completely regret it, though. Annoyingly, he didn't regret much that the two of them did together.

But it had been so _stupid_. It was all anyone wanted to talk about, and no one was going to forget it anytime soon. He should've stuck to what he normally did; refuse work with anything else, focus on the band's songs instead of distracting opportunities. He wasn't the kind of annoying person to write sappy songs with a girl and then perform them, making people guess whether they were in a relationship or not. And yet that's exactly what he'd done. It didn't matter how much he liked her. It was ridiculous.

He went to bed unsatisfied and irritated. And the next day started off badly from the moment he woke up, wrenched from sleep by Kiba banging on his door. "Yo, get up!"

"What," Sasuke growled, shoving his sheets away.

"We've got an interview this morning. Promotional shit."

"Jesus Christ."

"Yeah. Kakashi wants us there by nine."

The interview was (of course) complete bullshit, and it made him seethe. Sasuke bit out a few answers to their prodding questions about the song with Sakura, and the album, but after a look from Kakashi just shut up altogether. That was what he preferred, anyway.

* * *

After that, it was back to the studio, for the most unproductive session they'd had all month. Sasuke couldn't think straight; his fingers hung uselessly over the frets on his guitar. Naruto was texting in a corner, and Kiba was just fiddling with his bass.

"So. What do we need?" Naruto said, looking up at the rest of them.

"A hook. Like I said ten minutes ago," Shikamaru said. "We've got an opener, we need a second song." He was scrolling through something on his phone, fingers moving rapidly.

"Get off your phones," Kiba said, for once the impatient one.

"It's my dad. Sorry," Shikamaru said. "Haven't talked to him in weeks. He just got back from a trip overseas."

Sasuke turned back to his guitar, not particularly interested.

"You seriously haven't talked in weeks?" Naruto asked, looking surprised.

"Well, yeah. He had a spotty phone connection. Plus we've been busy."

"You could email him," Naruto said. "Or send letters. There's plenty of ways to talk!"

"Give it a rest, Naruto" Sasuke said, irritated.

"I'm just saying—"

"I know," Shikamaru said. "But neither of us are that type of person. The way we do things works out fine."

"Let's just get back to the writing," Sasuke muttered. He didn't want to talk about families.

"Maybe we should just cut the whole idea of a second song," Kiba said. "We shouldn't have that many if it doesn't fit with the style."

"Yeah. Nine's a good number," Naruto said, nodding.

Shikamaru shrugged. "I guess that could work out."

"Just remember, everything needs to be finished by the end of the month," the technician on the other side of the glass said. "We need time to get things into shape."

"No shit," Sasuke muttered, and Shikamaru frowned at him.

They went straight from the session to a meeting with a bunch of people on the team at the record label. Kakashi was there, which meant they had at least one person on their side, but Sasuke knew walking in that he wasn't going to like what came out of the discussion.

"So. The new album," one of the publicity people said. "You're still recording?"

"Yeah," Naruto said, glancing at the other three of them.

"You guys are going to have to double your sessions," Kakashi said. "I thought by now we'd have plenty of material."

"So did we," Kiba said.

"Well, the deadline's coming up," Kakashi said. "As much as I don't want to say this, the album needs to get out there."

_Fucking incredible_, Sasuke thought. Everything was business, and there was no room for real thought. They could put out a crap album, it wouldn't matter. Just as long as it hit stores on the right day.

The four of them had high standards, and Sasuke didn't want to put out anything that was below that bar. The thought that they might have to made him furious. Once provoked, irritation leached into his brain like a toxin, and it felt like everything today had been a trigger.

"How much more do you need? Two songs?" Someone asked.

"It depends," Shikamaru said, and even he looked slightly annoyed. "Whatever feels right. We're thinking of finishing with nine songs for the album."

"What about the song with Sakura Haruno?" One of the executives said, raising an eyebrow. Another one of them grinned.

"No," Sasuke said flatly. "It wouldn't fit."

Naruto snorted and Sasuke shot him a glare.

"He's right," Shikamaru said. "It's her song more than Sasuke's."

"Damn," someone else said. "We're back to the drawing board, then."

We're _back to the drawing board_. _As if they have anything to do with this process_, Sasuke thought. "We'll figure it out," he said to them through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, we're not gonna sacrifice quality," Kiba said.

A few people exchanged looks and Sasuke clenched and unclenched his fists under the table. He wasn't the only one of them leaving the meeting annoyed, he knew. All four of them hated situations liked this.

But they liked other things about this way of life much more than he did. Sometimes Sasuke despised everything about his lifestyle. He knew it was what he'd asked for, but making music shouldn't have to be like this. Usually he could brush it off, but on days like this, he couldn't help being affected by it. And there wasn't a way out, not unless he left the band and went somewhere on his own, cut off all ties to fame and his life and just...well, walked out. No forwarding address, nothing.

In the car after they left the studio, Sasuke let his mind go there for a minute. The band could get a new lead guitar; they was still at the level that anyone would say yes in a heartbeat to joining up. Their team could get the next best guitarist out there.

And the only other tie he had now was Sakura, and Sasuke figured if he pushed her out of his head the way he'd done to other people before, it wouldn't matter. He'd be an asshole in her eyes (and his own), but he could deal with that. It wasn't like he'd ever cared about people's opinions of his personality. Sakura Haruno would be the same as any other person.

_No_. The realization hit him hard. He wouldn't be able to leave her like that. For whatever reason, cutting ties with Sakura would be harder than almost anything else. He cared about her opinion in a way that he didn't about anyone else's. And he couldn't stop. The thought made him feel weak, and even angrier than before.

* * *

**A/N: **_My computer decided to self-destruct a few days ago, which caused a bit of a scare because I thought I was going to all the writing I did this summer (and a lot of work on various stories). But I managed to recover everything so updates are as normal. I now have a new and much better computer. Note to self: don't get lazy about backing up your files. _

_Anyway, hope you're enjoying. _


	12. Shattered

"We're gonna go out to a bar," Naruto announced to Sasuke, who was on the living room couch. His guitar hung loosely from his hands. "And then probably stay over with Gaara, he's back in town. His new place is huge." The four of them had arrived back at the apartment, tired and frustrated.

"I'll be here," Sasuke muttered. He had no interest in going out, and Sakura was coming over later.

"Oh, come on, dude—"

Kiba came up behind Naruto and nudged him with a grin. "Just let him have the place to himself."

After a second, a grin of realization came over Naruto's face. "Oh, right. Have fun."

Sasuke glared at him, and then the three of them headed out. The apartment was quiet now, though Sasuke was glad that his bandmates were out of the way. He walked around, restless, before going back to the couch. He'd put his guitar away, knowing it would be futile to even try anything new. His fingers felt stiff and he couldn't focus. Deep down, he knew days like this were toxic. It was an overwhelming feeling, but he couldn't seem to change it.

* * *

Sakura arrived about an hour later, out of breath and looking happy. Sasuke felt something in him wrench just looking at her, and he hated himself for it. He knew he wasn't in a great mood, and he'd thought seeing Sakura would help.

So much for that, because realizing how much of an effect she had on him had made him twice as opposed to letting her change his state of mind. And maybe that was ridiculous, but he was too deep in frustration to care.

"I talked to my parents for the first time in a few weeks," Sakura said. They were sitting on the floor in the living room together, leaning against the couch. Nothing had happened; she had only been there for a few minutes. The room felt uncomfortably hot.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. Here they were, back to parents again. He couldn't get away from that topic today, no matter how much he wanted to.

"Sometimes I'm sure they don't want me to be doing this," Sakura said.

"Hn," Sasuke said.

"They knew it's what I wanted, and I think that's the only reason they went along with it. They didn't want the whole fame mess. And my dad always thought I'd end up a doctor." She smiled slightly.

"Guess he got over it," Sasuke muttered.

"Oh, yeah. It's probably a pretty typical fear. Unless you're a stage parent." She rolled her eyes. "I wasn't an obvious child prodigy. I feel like you were, though."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No."

"But did your parents approve, when you started?"

"Wouldn't know. They're dead," Sasuke said.

"Oh, God. Sorry." The teasing look had dropped off her face. "Jesus, I'm stupid."

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. Why did she have to act like this? It was why he avoided telling people about his family. "It's fine. You're not."

Sakura shrugged and then frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asked softly.

"Never came up," Sasuke said.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sometimes," she said, tracing a forceful line on the carpet with a finger, "I feel like we can't get past a certain point. Because your stage personality is so ingrained, and I know you're different with me, but sometimes you're _not_. At all."

"What's that supposed to mean." Sasuke looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"Sasuke, we've known each other almost four months!" Suddenly she was angry, and they both stood up instinctively. "And today is the first day that you've said anything about your family. That stuff is important!" She was getting extremely emotional, and it surprised him.

"Calm down," he muttered.

"No, I'm not gonna _calm down,_" Sakura said. "I thought I could deal with all of it, because I knew who you were, really."

"Yeah?" He couldn't help challenging her. His irritation was finally coming to the surface.

"Yeah. Remember what Naruto said that one time, about how you hated talking about personal stuff? I was annoyed when he said it, because that's just who you are. Plus we'd only known each other for a few weeks, and it was still a whirlwind." She took a breath. "I know you're a private person, Sasuke, but come on, it would be nice if you could give me even a little bit, considering I'm...Well, I'm your..."

"What?" He sneered. "My _girlfriend_?"

Sakura just stared at him for a moment, and then her expression hardened. "Yeah. Yeah, I thought so."

"Guess you were wrong," he said, and didn't know why he was saying it but the anger was bubbling over all of a sudden, along with everything that was always closed up inside. And it was no one's fault but his own.

"Yeah, I guess so." Her tone was as cold as ice, and the emotion of a minute ago was replaced by a deadly finality. "Thanks for clearing that up." Sakura snatched her bag from the floor and walked out.

Sasuke couldn't move for a second, because he'd never, never expected that reaction. She'd left, just like that: voice hard, no tears. A minute ago everything had been fine. He'd wanted her to yell at him, he'd wanted an argument, _something_ that would allow him to let it all out. But she'd shut down.

He'd been so fucking stupid.

"Sakura!" He said loudly, his voice still angry.

The door slammed, and she was gone.

_Why the fuck did you do that why the fuck would you even let yourself say that. _The anger had gone as soon as it had come, and he sunk down to the floor. _Fucking idiot_, he thought to himself.

It had taken him one minute to mess everything up so badly it was unbelievable.

He had to go after her.

Sasuke shoved out the door and down the fifteen flights of stairs. "Sakura!" He yelled, not caring who heard. "Sakura!"

She was gone from the building, and in desperation he asked some guy standing outside.

"Pink hair? She caught a cab a second ago." He said, and that was it.

_Jesus Christ_. He couldn't go after her, he couldn't stoop that low. The sheer power of that anger had overwhelmed him, and now...God. What would he say to her now when he saw her? _If_ he saw her. Because after this, a reunion meeting didn't seem very likely.

* * *

The tears had come as soon as she'd gotten into the cab, and Sakura couldn't help feeling mortified in the presence of the driver, who had been extremely kind. He'd given her several tissues, and she'd mumbled out a thank you.

"It's gonna be alright," he said, and she'd felt awful so she had tipped him a lot of money and left the cab in a haze of tears. Somehow she made it up to her apartment, but once inside she just sat on the floor.

Sakura didn't know how she'd held it together in front of Sasuke, poker-faced and cool. Then again, it had come out of nowhere. And especially in front of Sasuke's sneer, she'd wanted to shock him. Show him that he didn't have power over her, and not give him the satisfaction of an emotional reaction. In the moment, it had been easy.

_My girlfriend? _His disgust had been the worst part, and just thinking about it made her want to cry like a little girl. God, she was dumb.

_Guess you were wrong. _How did he do that? He was so…Cold. It had taken almost nothing to set them off, the whole conversation had lasted about two minutes. But he'd made everything clear, hadn't he? She was just another girl.

_Ino was right all along_, Sakura thought. _Of course_. How could she have been so blind? This was Sasuke Uchiha, for fuck's sake. But it had felt so _right_, somehow. Had she made that up? After all, it had been mostly sex. Sex and the occasional conversation, and even with those (now that she thought about it), Sakura did most of the talking.

She sniffed sadly, feeling like a five-year-old. "Pull it together," she said out loud to herself. But she couldn't. All that time spent together, the conversations about music and the industry and…Everything. Was that it? Was all of it just _nothing_, in his mind?

Sakura crawled into bed. She deserved a few hours of wallowing, didn't she?

She pulled the blanket up over her head and tried to fall asleep, but Sasuke's face was burned into the insides of her eyelids.

* * *

**A/N: **_A little drama is always fun, right? _


	13. Personal

Sasuke stumbled out of his bedroom the next morning for a glass of water, hoping to find the kitchen empty. He hadn't slept at all the night before.

But the kitchen wasn't empty: clearly his bandmates had returned early, because Naruto and Kiba were standing by the counter.

"You look like shit," Kiba said, chuckling, when Sasuke came in. "Long night? Must've been fun, having the place to yourselves."

"Fuck off," Sasuke muttered.

"What's up with you, man?" Naruto said, frowning. "Did you guys have a fight?"

"I said. Fuck off." Of course Naruto, with his dumb, uncanny sense of Sasuke's emotions, would guess it right.

"No, you don't get to do that," Naruto said, suddenly sounding angry. "You tell us what happened."

"Yeah. We had a fight. Broke up," Sasuke said. He walked out before he could see their faces and went back to his room. He slammed the door behind him, a clearer sign than anything that he wanted them to leave him the hell alone.

A few minutes later, however, there was a heavy knocking on his door. "You better let me in, asshole," Naruto said.

Sasuke ignored him, and there was a crash as the door flew open and Naruto came inside.

"What the fuck," Sasuke growled, eyes narrowed. "Get out."

"What did you say to her?" Naruto demanded. "This is your fault, I know it is!"

"How would you know," Sasuke said, his words dripping in irritation.

"'Cause I know you!" Naruto was rarely this upset, and it was almost unsettling.

"We had a fight. I was fucking stupid," Sasuke muttered, and he only admitted it because he was tired and this was Naruto. "I said…Never mind." He didn't even want to think about what he had said, even though the words he'd exchanged with Sakura had replayed in his mind all night.

"No shit you were fucking stupid," Naruto said. "You're such an _idiot_."

Sasuke glared at him. "I don't need this from you."

"Yeah, you do, otherwise you're just gonna sit here and sulk! You have to go talk to her!"

"What am I supposed to say?" Sasuke frowned at Naruto. "You think she's actually gonna want to listen to me?"

"_Apologize_, first of all! Come on, teme, don't you care about her?"

"Of course I care about her," Sasuke said in a low voice, and he couldn't help the emotion that was coming across.

"But you're just gonna let her go?" Naruto said, raising an eyebrow. "'Cause it doesn't look like you care enough."

"I cared too much," Sasuke said, eyes narrowed. His voice was barely audible.

"Then tell _Sakura_ that!"

* * *

"We'll never forgive you if you don't apologize," Kiba said to Sasuke when he returned to the kitchen later that day.

"It's none of your business," Sasuke said.

"Of course it's our fucking business! You realize the four of us are family, right? And you're the only one of us who hasn't realized that Sakura's the best thing that's ever gonna happen to you. So you better fix it."

Naruto, who was sitting at the table, nodded furiously. "He's right and you know it."

Sasuke didn't leave his room for the rest of the day, ignoring any conversation going on outside. He left his phone on, but ignored anything coming in, only looking for one name that he knew was never going to show up. _Why the hell would she call you_, he thought to himself, disgusted, yet he still glanced at his phone too often.

Everything Sakura had said was right, though he didn't want to think about it. But a nagging feeling told him that every objection she'd had to what they shared with each other had been valid. Their whole relationship _had_ been one-sided. He'd tried to keep it light, with sex and not much else. But his emotions had gotten the better of him, maybe even more than hers had. There was no way to come back from that, if the way he was feeling now was any indication.

Naruto came back a few times and pounded on the door, repeating the same things he'd said before, but Sasuke didn't acknowledge him. Kiba hadn't attempted to talk to Sasuke since their last conversation.

"You fucked up," was all Shikamaru said to Sasuke, because he'd poked his head in later that first day. No lectures, but that wasn't his style. Sasuke could feel his disapproval wafting through walls for two achingly long, sleepless days.

And he knew he had to fix this.

* * *

Sakura wanted to believe that he didn't mean it. Something told her that he cared. Sasuke Uchiha pushed people away, that was obvious from just about everything he did. But he wasn't the person he tried to be. She was sitting on the couch, doing nothing, and suddenly Sakura was so, so angry.

There was a hard knock on the door and Sakura didn't know if it was him or one of her people. She hadn't talked to anyone recently, they were probably freaking out. Her phone lay on the kitchen table, untouched since she'd returned from the night at Sasuke's. The few hours of wallowing had turned into two days, and she hated herself for it but also couldn't bring herself to go to meetings or the studio (or change out of an old tank top and sweatpants).

A moment later the knocking came again, more persistent, and she was filled with irritation. She didn't care what she looked like right now, so she crossed the room in a few strides and wrenched the door open.

"Fucking…" She wasn't ready to see him, not really, and that hit her as soon as she realized who it was. But to his credit, Sakura also wasn't prepared for what he looked like, standing outside her door. If his physical appearance was any indication, Sasuke had been affected by this as well. His hair was tousled, much more so than usual, and there were heavy bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in a week, and the thought gave Sakura a sick sense of satisfaction. "What the fuck do you want."

"Have to talk to you." The way he was looking at her was slightly unnerving. Sakura hated the effect that just his eyes had on her.

"Yeah?" She challenged.

"Come on, Sakura," he said, irritated.

"What do you _want_ me to say? Oh, come on in, Sasuke. Feel free to wipe your feet on me before you come all the way inside. Because that's what I'm good for, isn't it?"

"Stupid," he muttered, and it made her angrier.

"Well, that's me. Stupid, naïve Sakura who was too _dumb _to see that of_ course _fucking Sasuke Uchiha wouldn't actually care about someone's feelings. Why should I be any different?" She rolled her eyes and laughed humorlessly. "I really was an _idiot_, wasn't I?"

"You're not an idiot," Sasuke said, and suddenly he seemed angry. Like their last conversation, heat was escalating in seconds. "I went too far, I didn't mean what I fucking said—"

But for Sakura, there was at least some catharsis in this confrontation. "How is that even possible?" She cut him off. "What you said? That's not the kind of thing you say in the heat of the moment! That's the kind of thing to say if you want someone totally _gone_ from your life. And you did a pretty good job, too, so I have no idea why you're even here. Do you actually feel _guilty_ about it?"

"Of course I feel guilty," Sasuke said through gritted teeth, and she felt a slight twinge of surprise at his candor. But not nearly enough to step back.

"Yeah?" She glared at him, not caring how close he was to her. If he thought that was enough, he was kidding himself.

"Yeah. I fucking love you."

* * *

Several emotions crossed Sakura's face, and she took a step backward. "Stop."

"I'm serious," Sasuke said, and he took a step over the doorway. "Don't share stuff with people. I don't get close. I freaked out."

Sakura was watching him, eyes narrowed, but she didn't interrupt, which meant she wanted more of an explanation.

"It's protection, or something," Sasuke muttered, because he felt like an idiot talking about this. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say, because he hated the idea of saying something rehearsed. But he hated this, too. "Had a bad day and you were asking questions and I blew up."

"I know," Sakura said flatly. "Jesus Christ, Sasuke, it's obvious. You're so afraid of being vulnerable, you put up walls against anyone you could possibly care about. I know it's supposed to be self-preservation, but, well...It's awful."

"Hn."

"You're a fucking idiot, Sasuke," she said, and looked more upset than anything. "So what, did you finally have an epiphany about that or something? Is that why you're here?"

"Yeah," he said, because it was embarrassing and true. "I'm sorry," Sasuke said, and the words were hard to say but he was pretty sure it was the only thing he had to try and fix this. "For everything I said."

"You're so stupid," Sakura muttered, taking a step toward him. "So fucking _stupid_."

And then she was kissing him angrily, and he was kissing her back, more desperate than anything. Sakura dug her fingernails into his neck, pouring out her anger onto his lips and showing him how much he'd hurt her.

She slammed him against the wall and pinned his arms while she kissed him, and he just wanted more of this because the past few days had drained him. He wrenched himself away from the wall and they moved into the tiny kitchen, where he pressed Sakura up against the counter, and she jumped up and hooked her legs around his waist. He had his hands on her butt to keep her up, and she plunged her hands into his hair, digging her fingers in to the roots. Sasuke's mouth moved down past her jaw and down her neck, and Sakura let out a sigh and arched her head back. Then she shoved him back, her eyes slits, and kissed him along his jawline. He felt the tip of her tongue and couldn't help inhaling sharply, and they both knew exactly what the other one was doing. "Fuck, Sakura," Sasuke got out, and she let out a slight, almost angry laugh.

Sasuke hoisted her up so she was sitting on the counter and pushed his hands into her tangled hair. Sakura's lips returned to his mouth, and they stayed like that for a few long seconds. She grabbed the back of his neck, fingers pressing into his skin, and Sasuke held her waist. Sakura leaned farther into it, and his teeth brushed hers with a click before she tilted her head and pulled at his bottom lip. He pushed forward, tightening his grip on her waist, and then suddenly Sakura slid down off the counter.

"No," she said, her voice softer. "No no no, we can't do this right now…"

"What?" Sasuke murmured. He had grabbed her in case she lost her balance, and their mouths were only an inch apart. He made to kiss her again, but Sakura took a step back.

"Sasuke. We have to figure stuff out," Sakura said, attempting to collect herself. They stared at each other for a moment, both breathing hard.

"Figure what out?" Sasuke asked her, his voice coming out hoarse. Sakura's face was flushed, but it looked like the anger was starting to drain out. Her eyes were wide and open, the way he was used to.

"This. Us," Sakura said. She ran a hand through her hair, looking agitated, and took a step back.

Sasuke nodded.

"Which means you have to listen," Sakura said, staring at him.

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura took a deep breath. "If it's going to work, we have to be open with each other. Or at least, you have to be open with me." She frowned.

"I know," Sasuke said.

"You say that, but you know what I mean, right? You can't shut me out, or blame things on having a bad day." She frowned.

Sasuke avoided her eyes, suddenly embarrassed. "Yeah." He felt like a little kid.

"And we tell each other stuff," Sakura said. "Relationships are complicated. Things aren't going to be great all the time. But we can be there for each other, can't we?"

"Aa. Of course," Sasuke said, and he was surprised by how much he meant the words. But this was Sakura, and he'd been given a second chance. He was determined not to screw it up. And also…If he wanted to be there for anyone, it was her.

* * *

"Okay," Sakura said, nodding. She felt young and hesitant, but this was also the most awkward she'd ever seen Sasuke. It gave her a boost of confidence, the fact that they were both on even ground for once. But she wasn't going to go into this a second time with any misgivings, and the air had to be cleared once and for all. "Sasuke, I'm not gonna be able to take another conversation like that. Or argument, whatever it was. I'm not sure if you know this, but you're really, really good at hurting people. I know why you do it, but it was…I don't know."

Sakura didn't know if she imagined it, but it looked like he winced at her words. "I never want to do it again," Sasuke said in a low voice. "Not to you."

"I know we're going to fight," Sakura said, "It's impossible to avoid, and that's okay. But I have that whole conversation emblazoned in my brain word for word, and I…I just need some assurance, I guess." She sighed, trying to find the right words. "It's that insecurity, since you're Sasuke Uchiha and it was one of those things I couldn't help being afraid of. That you'd just drop me. And you did it so quickly."

Sasuke looked her right in the eyes, and she felt the intensity radiating from him. "I'm never going to drop you. I'm not like that, and you're…Way too important."

Her stomach flipped over, and Sakura knew she probably looked like she'd been struck dumb. But when he gave her looks like that…It was too much (probably in a good way). "I—Good." She blushed. "You—You're really important to me, too. More than I wanted." She bit her lip, and Sasuke smirked.

"What?" she asked, immediately frowning.

"Tch. Nothing," Sasuke said. He glanced down, and then back up at her. "Thank you. For giving me a second chance."

"You're welcome. Though you should really be thanking your dumb good looks." She couldn't help grinning, despite the underlying emotion of the whole exchange.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and then frowned at her. "So is everything okay now?" He sounded almost hesitant.

"Yeah…I think so." Sakura smiled tiredly. "I guess we'll see, right?"

"Hn. Right."

Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling him lean in towards her too. It was a moment that, in the future, would always be an immediate source of comfort.

"I don't want this to be private anymore," Sasuke said suddenly.

Sakura pulled back and looked at him, surprised. "Seriously?"

Sasuke frowned and nodded. "It's stupid. Easier if we just come out with it. For real." He glanced at her, and she figured they were both thinking of the stunt they'd pulled at the Winter Festival.

A smile spread across Sakura's face. "Okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, we've talked about the implications, haven't we? And I've thought about it. It'll be fine." 'Fine' probably wasn't the right word for it, but she had put a lot of thought into it over the past few weeks, before the argument. And finally knowing Sasuke's feelings made her certain about the whole thing.

"As long as you're sure," Sasuke said. Sakura knew that he was thinking about the implications it would have on her career.

"Hey, I did just win the award for best new artist," Sakura said, giving him a mischievous grin. "And I got to the top of the charts without you. I'll get through it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Tch."

* * *

Naruto took one look at Sasuke's face when he came back to the apartment the next morning and grinned. "So…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling slightly. "Back together."

"YES!" Naruto pumped a fist.

Kiba came into the kitchen. "Naruto, he was gone overnight. Did you seriously not put the pieces together?" He was grinning.

"I just wanted to make sure," Naruto said. "So, did you guys yell at each other again? Or did you get down on your knees and beg for her to take you back? Or did—"

"None of your business, dobe," Sasuke said.

"Well, at least we know they had crazy make-up sex," Kiba said.

"You need to shut the fuck up," Sasuke said to him.

"Oh, come on, man. Tell me you didn't."

Sasuke turned to the fridge and didn't respond.

"Ha!" Kiba said, and Naruto cackled. "I'm gonna go wake up Shikamaru and tell him."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Jesus Christ."

"Hey, come on, teme. This is big," Naruto said. "We all care about her."

"I've noticed," Sasuke muttered.

"She makes you better. 'Cause she's ten times the person you are."

"Yeah, I know," Sasuke said. And he did.

* * *

**A/N: **_If you couldn't tell, I had a hard time deciding which POV to use in this chapter. Sometimes it's fun to switch it around a little bit. _

_Also, if you're interested...'Personal' is by Tori Kelly, who was my main inspiration for Sakura's sound (especially her live/acoustic stuff). Hopefully that won't mess up your internal picture of what Sakura sounds like; leaving that up to interpretation is probably best :) But just for good music's sake, go check out Tori Kelly, she's awesome. _


	14. All Eyes

The time to reveal everything in public would be at the next awards ceremony, the two of them decided. It was in early February, the second big music awards show of the year, and guaranteed to have the biggest media presence.

In the meantime, the band was releasing the first song off their new album, a collaboration they'd recorded almost a year ago with the rapper Killer B. Luckily, it didn't involve anywhere near the amount of promotion it would've required two years ago; people were hanging onto every bit of news that leaked out about the band. They could've released a link to the song, cold, and it would probably be at the top of the charts in minutes.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the way things were done. There were radio agreements, and scripts to go by when announcing new things over social media, and careful advertising. Normally it wouldn't even be that big of a deal for Sasuke, who stayed as far away as he could from any publicity efforts. But the release was coming in the middle of their sessions for the new album, which meant additional and unnecessary stress.

Though his joint appearance with Sakura was extremely important to Sasuke, figuring out the specifics was not. And that was all the publicity team wanted to talk about, once the band's single was out and getting airtime. Sasuke declined meeting after meeting, irritated by the way they were dissecting minute details. The whole process didn't make him want to go back on his decision, but it was a total pain in the ass.

The band had finally finished writing the new songs, and was now immersed in demos and the official recording process. They were in the studio for hours at a time, usually as long as Shikamaru could hold up his vocals. It was the shortest production period they'd ever had for an album, out of necessity. Recording multiple tracks a day was not the way Sasuke would ever have chosen to go about it. He felt good about what they were putting down, sure, but a recording process this fast left no room for editing if they found anything unsatisfactory.

In fact, he'd probably be completely miffed about the whole thing if it weren't for Sakura. Starting over with her had created a whole new feeling in Sasuke's life. Things that angered him before suddenly didn't seem nearly as important. Part of him wasn't sure how to feel about that, but letting go of his reservations about their relationship had released a knot of giant tension in him that Sasuke hadn't even realized was there. He wasn't exactly eager to expand that feeling and bust out of a shell, or something ridiculous, but he felt better now than he had in…Years.

* * *

Sasuke had told the publicity people that he and Sakura would be taking the same limo, and (to his surprise) they'd accepted that. Probably because it would generate the most noise in the media.

In the weeks leading up to the awards show, some kind of rumor was purposely leaked to make the news outlets suspect that the two of them might show up together, which generated even more buzz. "They'll already be prepared," Kakashi said, with a slight shake of his head. It was two weeks before the show, and he was visiting the apartment to make sure Sasuke knew the plan (as if he hadn't heard it a thousand times already). "I have to say, Sakura Haruno's team is efficient."

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I'm also surprised that you would agree to do this," Kakashi said.

"We agreed on it together," Sasuke muttered, frowning.

"Good," Kakashi said. "You know, this is a big step for you. I'm happy you're making it."

Sasuke shot him a look and left the room immediately.

"Don't forget, you have to be in the studio at eight tonight," Kakashi called to his back.

"I know," Sasuke said, going to his room to get his guitar.

* * *

He got to Sakura's past midnight that night, and felt guilty as soon as she opened the door. "Sorry," he muttered. "It's late."

"Don't worry about it," Sakura said. It looked like she'd gotten back recently too; she was wearing a tight skirt and lacy top, not at all the kind of outfit she wore when she was at home. Her guitar case was lying open on the coffee table, next to a few sheets of paper. "I got back fifteen minutes ago."

"Writing?" He indicated her guitar.

"Sudden inspiration," Sakura said. "I had to write it down before I forgot. Which explains why I'm still in business clothes." She grinned.

"Meetings?" Sasuke asked her.

"Meetings about us, actually. They were making sure I knew the plan."

"Hn. Don't even want to talk about that," Sasuke said.

"Neither do I. Give me a minute to change, okay? This skirt is too short to sit comfortably."

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Sasuke said, smirking.

"Shut up, you," Sakura said. "I'll make you pay for that comment some time."

"Tch," Sasuke said. He went over to the coffee table to wait for her.

He picked up her guitar from the couch so he could sit down, and then weighed it in his hands. He'd never touched her guitar before, and it was impossible to resist running his fingers over the frets, getting the feel of it. He didn't play it out of respect; you didn't just pick up someone else's instrument and fiddle with it.

"You can play it, if you want."

Sasuke jumped. He hadn't heard Sakura come out of her room. "Sorry." He started to set the guitar down again.

"I'm serious," Sakura said, coming over and sitting next to him on the couch. "You're probably the only person I could trust with my guitar, and it's not because of our relationship status."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Sakura grinned. He picked up the guitar and strummed a bit, just getting a feel for it. Sakura kept it in top condition, unsurprisingly.

He played a few chords, not really going for any particular song.

"So are you ready for the awards show?" Sakura asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura nodded. "As much as I'm kind of dreading it…I don't know. It'll be good not to have to hide something like this from people anymore. Especially people I care about. I've got enough stress to deal with." She sighed.

Sasuke nodded. He hadn't even thought about the fact that Sakura probably hadn't told most of her friends about their relationship. She had people outside of her immediate music circle that she really cared about, unlike him, and he hadn't given a thought to how hard the whole thing must've been to hide.

He set her guitar down on the table and leaned back into the couch. Sakura joined him, curling her legs up under her.

"Do your parents…Know?" Sasuke asked, knowing the question would sound like it was coming out of nowhere.

"About you?" Sakura raised her eyebrows, looking amused.

Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "No details. But I told them a few weeks ago that I was seeing a guy, casually. My mom asked what his name was, and then was very surprised."

"Why?"

"Because getting involved with some idiot in a ridiculously famous band was not something I ever had in mind," she said, rolling her eyes.

"So she knows who I am."

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Sasuke," she said in a faux-condescending voice, "I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you. But many teenage girls, myself included, experienced some angst during their high school years. You may also not know that 'Night Drive' is an iconic breakup song of the alt-rock variety. To conclude, considering you have a very large fanbase, I'm pretty sure most mothers with kids vaguely interested in music know who you are."

The look Sasuke gave her just made Sakura laugh. She switched back to her normal tone. "Granted, my mom might not have known what you looked like, because I was never a poster kind of girl, but I'm sure that's been remedied with an Internet search."

"Okay, okay," Sasuke muttered.

"You asked," Sakura said, giving him a sweet smile. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So are you staying over?" She asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"Not if you don't want me to," Sasuke said.

Now it was Sakura's turn to roll her eyes. "You don't come over at midnight with plans to leave an hour later."

Sasuke shrugged. "I can leave if you want to sleep."

"I don't want to sleep _yet_," Sakura said. "I'm going to be swamped for the next two weeks, which means we won't see much of each other."

Sasuke got her meaning immediately.

* * *

The next night Sasuke spent at Sakura's apartment ended up being the day before the awards show, and mainly out of necessity; the plan was to get ready at Sakura's apartment, and take the limo from there. They had fallen asleep without doing anything, exhausted from their respective workdays. When the crowd of people arrived, he and Sakura were both still in their pajamas, and completely unprepared for the onslaught that came through the door.

Immediately Sakura was pulled away into the bathroom for prep, which seemed ridiculous considering it wasn't even noon. Sasuke, however, was left to his own devices. He stayed as far away as possible from the buzz of activity. Sakura's apartment didn't feel right with so many people in it; the sense of safety and comfort that was always there with the two of them was completely gone.

Later in the afternoon, someone handed Sasuke a bag with his suit inside. He used Sakura's bedroom to change and came back out to find several people waiting to intercept him. They had it down to a science, apparently. Sasuke always refused, point blank, to let anyone put makeup on his face, but the band's stylist sprayed stuff in his hair before he could dodge it. He figured Kakashi had told them to back off, because they didn't change anything else about his appearance other than one person approaching tentatively to straighten his tie.

Sakura came out an hour and a half later. She was wearing a blue-green dress that brushed the floor; her hair was pulled half up and she looked nothing like herself. Her eyes were dark; he could tell she was wearing false eyelashes, even though she didn't need them, along with a shit-ton of eye shadow.

"Well," she twirled. "How do I look?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Uh…"

"Don't even say anything," she said. "It's bad, isn't it." She smiled and he saw a hint of her under all the makeup.

She looked gorgeous, obviously. But to him, Sakura always looked the most beautiful sitting on a stool with her guitar; it didn't matter what she was wearing or if she had makeup on. The glamorous, awards-show Sakura wasn't one that he knew, and that was slightly unnerving.

"It's not that bad," Sasuke said.

"You're lying through your teeth, asshole." Sakura said. Makeup and fancy dresses didn't really change anything about a person. "Come on, let's get this over with." She grabbed his hand and led the way toward the limo. "You realize this is our big reveal, right?"

"Crossed my mind." Sasuke muttered, opening the car door so she could climb in without falling (her heels were ridiculously tall).

Sakura took the hand he'd offered to help her get in, but paused for a second to give his suit a once-over. "You clean up nicely, you know," she said, shooting him a slightly mischievous grin, and then ducked inside. Sasuke would've smirked if her comment hadn't sent a rush of heat through him. Instead he just shook his head and followed her in, wishing he had better control (and at the same time, not being able to resist the effect she had on him).

* * *

The minute they got out of the limo, the screams got a hundred times louder. Sasuke realized how much bigger this had become just because of the two of them were showing up in the same limo, while the rest of the band was arriving separately. He hadn't really thought about the effect it would have.

Flashbulbs went off from every direction. There was a frenzy of photographers pushing up against the barriers on the street, and the reporters on the carpet were craning their necks to see what was going on.

Sakura held onto Sasuke's hand for the majority of the time on the red carpet, even during interviews.

"Wow. Wow!" The first reporter said into her microphone as Sasuke and Sakura were guided up to her. "I'm here with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, who just arrived…Together!"

The camera panned (in a ridiculously obvious way) down to their linked hands. Sakura, however, put on a bright smile. "Hi!"

"Sorry, I think I might need a moment to take this in," she said, looking at the camera and putting a hand over her heart dramatically. It took all Sasuke had to keep his face neutral.

"Take as long as you need," Sakura said amiably, though she looked slightly embarrassed.

"I suppose I have to ask the question everyone watching is dying to know," she said, "...Is this official?"

"I would say so," Sakura said. She glanced at Sasuke.

"Aa," Sasuke said. "Not obvious enough for you?"

The reporter laughed, and then the publicity people were signaling that they had to move on. And then followed a typical series of interactions with the press, the annoyance levels multiplied by one hundred.

"So I have to ask, since I've got you both together: was it love at first sight?" One interviewer asked with a horrible confidential smile.

Sasuke had been letting Sakura handle the majority of the questions, because they made him seethe. Somehow, she could make up cordial responses to any question she was asked.

"Um…Not really. The first time we met it was really quick. I mean, we knew about each other. But we didn't really get to know each other until later." Sakura said, smiling.

"Tch. Yeah," Sasuke said involuntarily. He was thinking about the night they had first met. And what had happened.

"Well, you certainly look _great_ together," the interviewer said. "Rumor has it you've already won _Gossip _magazine's Sexiest Couple title."

"Wow. That's…flattering." Sakura said. She glanced at Sasuke and he smirked at her eye roll.

"Yo, teme! Leave Sakura alone for one sec so we can take photos!" Naruto yelled from across the carpet.

"Alright, I should let you two go," the interviewer said. "Have fun tonight!"

"Thank you!" Sakura said, ever polite.

"I'll see you inside," Sasuke said to Sakura. This was part of the plan, after all; the publicity people were worried he would seem distanced from his bandmates if he was with Sakura all night. Making sure that didn't happen meant yet more photos, this time with the rest of the band.

"Okay." She reached up to kiss him and Sasuke felt the cameras go crazy (not that they'd stopped since he and Sakura had arrived). This was the moment they were all hungry for, and Sakura had given them exactly what they wanted.

Still, she was also the one who pulled away first and let go of his hand. Immediately she was swept off into another series of interviews, and Sasuke joined his bandmates.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Sakura muttered to Sasuke when they found each other inside. "I got two question on my music. That's it. The rest were about you."

"Sorry," Sasuke said.

"Don't apologize." Sakura rolled her eyes. "I knew what I was getting myself into, didn't I? I've been reading magazines since I was a kid, and that's all they want from the girl." She sighed. "It's just how the world works." Bitterness had crept into her voice.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked her quietly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I can't let this stuff get to me, can I?"

Sasuke shook his head. "And you won't." He put a hand on the small of her back and they entered the theater, which was peacefully free of flashing cameras and TV network microphones.

* * *

**A/N: **_Sorry for the unreliable update times. If the next chapter isn't up until the end of the month, it's because I've gotten sidetracked by school and nanowrimo (which probably isn't the best idea considering how hectic my schedule is...but I'm going to do anyway)._

_Reviews appreciated; thanks for reading._


	15. Future

There was an afterparty that night hosted by the rapper Killer B, and Sakura and Sasuke were both going, having scored the in-demand invitations. Even that appearance was choreographed: they arrived separately, Sasuke with the band and Sakura alone. She had changed into a short black dress that gave her a bit more flexibility to move. The party was in a converted events center, a space that had been turned into a kind of nightclub, with hazy red lights and several levels of tables. The press was also turned away at the door, which was a relief.

The two of them met up again once they were inside, and made their way through the crowd hand in hand. Sasuke recognized some faces, but it was a lot of producers and record label people mixed in with the musicians themselves. The rock crowd was mostly absent, and that group held most of the people Sasuke considered friends. There were several pop stars here, wearing outrageous outfits. He didn't normally mingle with this crowd, but collaborating with Killer B had brought the band into this circle for the time being.

"Do you know a lot of people here?" Sakura asked him.

"No," Sasuke muttered. "Some names, maybe."

"Hm." She looked unsure, which he wasn't used to seeing.

"You've got another award. They'll all be jumping over each other to talk to you," Sasuke said darkly (and truthfully).

As if his words had signaled something, immediately someone called her name. "Sakura Haruno!" Karui had come up to them, wearing some kind of jumpsuit, low-cut and with a blinding number of sparkles. "I've wanted to meet you for _such_ a long time." She held out a manicured hand and Sakura shook it.

"Wow, that's really flattering," Sakura said.

"Ugh, don't," Karui said, waving a hand. "You're so beautiful and talented. Best of luck with your relationship!" She was gone a second later after flashing a wide smile at Sasuke.

"Was that…Really fake?" Sakura asked Sasuke. "I can't even tell."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I doubt it. But who cares."

"True," Sakura said. "I just hope she's not a total bitch, for Ino's sake."

"Is she on tour with her?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "They start soon."

Sasuke nodded.

"You know what's weird? You don't know Ino. She's been my best friend since we were ten. You're the first guy I've dated who's never met her."

"You make it sound like there were a lot," Sasuke muttered, smirking.

"Some day I'll tell you all about my romantic past," Sakura said. It surprised him that she didn't even deny it. He was curious, though he didn't want to be.

"Not necessary," Sasuke said.

Sakura laughed. "Want to dance? I want to get out of this crowd."

"…Sure." He felt the same way; the number of people in the room was claustrophobic.

She wrapped her arms around his neck once they were out on the dance floor. "This feels better. Remember the last time we were on a dance floor?" She grinned up at him.

"Yes," Sasuke muttered darkly.

Sakura laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist." She moved in time to the music, but not enough that Sasuke felt like he had to follow. "Thanks for braving the floor with me, I thought you might refuse."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Give me some credit," he muttered, and Sakura smiled. Even with Sakura, he was never going to like dancing, but if it got them away from everyone else than he would follow her lead.

They were already close to each other, and Sasuke kissed her instinctively, not caring that the room was full of people. Even after a few hours, the smell of her hairspray and makeup still overpowered her more familiar scent. It made the kiss feel stranger, like she was a different person.

Than again, she was, at least to a certain extent. Everyone was different in public. He knew what the next step for them would be: there would formulate a careful, publicly available version of their relationship formulated by their publicists, and they would have to stick to it. The thought didn't exactly thrill him, but it was easier than keeping it quiet. He wondered if Sakura had realized everything that was going into this. Other than Naruto, her public persona was closer to her real personality than anyone he'd ever met.

Sakura pulled back from him first, biting her lip. She glanced around, and Sasuke followed her gaze. There were way more people than he expected looking at them.

"Everything good?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Sakura said, frowning. "This just feels…Weird."

"Aa." Sasuke had never been in a public relationship before (let alone a long-term private one). No matter what the public received relating to the two of them, Sasuke realized fully that this, right here, was throwing his reputation away completely.

He didn't care anymore.

* * *

"Well, you're the top news all over the country," Orochimaru said. "We couldn't have asked for anything bigger in terms of publicity." He grinned.

"…Great," Sakura said, not able to summon much enthusiasm. It had been past two in the morning when she had finally gotten back to her apartment from the party. After a shower to get off the remains of makeup and hair products, she'd fallen right into bed. It felt like she hadn't slept at all when she was roused at seven by the arrival of Shizune (and Orochimaru) to prep her for a radio interview. Sasuke had gone back with the rest of the band last night; they had an early call in the morning as well. It didn't look like she would see him for a few days.

"This is good, Sakura," Orochimaru said. "Be prepared, because the next few weeks are going to be crazy. A good kind of crazy, but crazy nonetheless." He gave her a wide smile that Sakura didn't like.

She nodded. "Okay."

"Excellent. Now, I have to get on the phone with some news friends. Everyone wants the story."

"Are you giving it to them?" Sakura asked. She didn't even know what the story was, in his book.

"Oh, just some tidbits. Don't worry, Sakura, we won't let this eclipse anything. You've got an album coming out, after all. Remember not to let Sasuke overshadow that."

"Why would he?" Sakura asked. Orochimaru's tone was starting to bug her.

"I'm just bringing it up," Orochimaru said lightly. "Now, I'll see you tonight in the studio. Read over my notes before you go to the interview this afternoon."

Sakura watched him go, frowning.

"Don't let him get to you, Sakura," Shizune said. "He just wants to make sure everything's on track."

Sakura nodded but didn't say anything.

* * *

In the free hour between her interview and the time she would be picked up to go to the studio, Sakura called Ino, craving a normal conversation with her best friend. She couldn't remember the last time they'd talked, not just texted, and it made her feel guilty.

"Holy fuck, Sakura. Why didn't you tell me you two were going to make an entrance like that?" Ino demanded before Sakura even had the chance to say hi.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "I didn't tell anyone, I swear. I would've told you in a second if I could."

"I may have screamed very loudly and terrified the neighbors, so that's on you. But it's all good. Tenten and I danced around the room for a while and missed a bunch of cameras zooming in on your dress."

Sakura laughed. "How is Tenten? I haven't seen her in ages."

"You haven't seen _me_ in ages either. But she's doing well. I was over at her apartment, we had a watching party with no food because I'm on a strict rehearsal diet."

"You're eating, though, right?"

"Yeah. Are you?" Ino challenged.

"Yes," Sakura said with a sigh.

"You'd better be," Ino said. She didn't say anything for a minute. Then, "Look, I'll admit that I was wrong about him. Sasuke Uchiha doesn't seem like he'd give up his reputation easily."

"Well, you've never met him," Sakura said.

"Just goes to show how the media throws things off. I mean, I _definitely_ believed you learned how to play guitar in a day." Ino's tone turned more serious. "But seriously, he's surprised me."

Sakura traced a finger along the seam of her shirt. She hadn't said anything about the brief break-up, and keeping secrets from Ino always weighed on her. But it also felt good to be able to say that she had been right about Sasuke. Ino had always been the one with the best instincts about romance.

"Good," Sakura said after a moment.

"But God, if you wanted to send all the gossip magazines into total chaos, then you've succeeded. You guys are on every cover I've seen."

"Ugh," Sakura said.

"Come on, that _was_ your goal, wasn't it?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed. "We wanted to make it public, so it couldn't be misread. Obviously awful magazines weren't the intended targets."

"They come with the territory," Ino said. "I mean, at least you looked amazing in every picture."

"Thanks, I guess," Sakura said. "I hope you didn't buy every magazine you saw."

"Just the heavy-hitters," Ino said. "Come on, I have to save them for posterity, don't I? When you're old and wrinkled and want to look back on the good times, I'll whip them out."

"_Wow_," Sakura said.

"I'm kidding. They're pretty awful, actually. I just couldn't resist. I used to read _Gossip_ all the time."

"I remember," Sakura said, sighing.

"Anyway, you guys looked really good on the red carpet together," Ino said. "I always knew your chemistry would be unreal. But, like, it makes me angry."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sakura said.

"Don't be modest," Ino mimicked her tone.

"Alright, I have to go. Studio session," Sakura said.

"And I have rehearsal. Look at that, we're both so busy," Ino said.

Sakura laughed. "That's for sure."

"Call me soon. I have no idea what's going on in your life anymore, I can't rely on the Internet."

"I will, I promise."

Sakura hung up and immediately got a text saying that her ride was there.

* * *

They had started recording her next album a few weeks before the award show, and despite how hectic everything was, it felt good to be putting down tracks. It was strange: she had written a lot of angsty, lovesick material pre-Sasuke, and now that was the last thing she wanted to record. Some of her new material had been approved for recording, but overall this was a darker record than her first. She was crossing her fingers for more control when it came to production, but judging from the way Orochimaru was in the studio all the time monitoring her work, he wasn't going to let her have any more of a say than with the first album.

Sakura wished she could say that didn't bother her (producers know best, and all that), but in her head she knew what she wanted every song to sound like, and the final album would definitely be different from her version. _Not necessarily in a bad way_, she kept reminding herself, but…Different.

Even the producers were buzzing with the Sasuke news, Sakura realized that night while she was in the studio. Murmuring about bringing him in for multiple songs. Orochimaru, in a gesture that Sakura was surprisingly grateful for, put his foot down and refused. "Unless that is what Sakura wants," he said, looking at her through the glass of the control room with a smile. She nodded at him, trying not to be disturbed by his smile. He'd had her best interests at heart since the beginning, hadn't he?

* * *

"They're gonna make you pose with him all the time now so he won't scowl," Naruto said. "Just look at those photos." He was scrolling through his phone, chuckling.

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke muttered, and Sakura laughed. She and Sasuke were on the couch in the band's apartment. It was a week later, late at night; Sasuke had picked Sakura up in a car with darkened windows, the first time she had been in a car with him at the wheel. They had gone to his apartment, only because it was easier to get to without attracting attention.

Any time she was at the band's apartment, Naruto always put his all into making her feel comfortable. The four guys were seeming less and less like Firestyle the band and more like, well, four regular guys. They were all incredibly down-to-earth; it was almost surprising, when Sakura thought about it. Naruto had a long-distance girlfriend who he'd met on the band's second tour, a sound-tech. The other two weren't dating, but (at least to her knowledge) they didn't use fame to their advantage in that area.

They had had a surreal rise to fame, and it had never really slowed down for them. And yet money and celebrity hadn't gone to their heads.

She mentioned it to Sasuke later that night in his room and he just snorted. "What?" Sakura asked. "Don't tell me that was a dumb observation, it's not something you'd realize if you watched you guys perform."

"Naruto wouldn't let any of us turn into fame assholes," Sasuke said. "Point blank. Keeps everyone in check." He rolled his eyes.

"That's good," Sakura said, smiling slightly.

"None of us are like that, anyway," Sasuke said. "Never easily swayed by that stuff."

Sakura nodded and then checked her phone. "I should get home. Early morning tomorrow." The thought of it made her tired. "I don't even know where the time's going."

"What do you mean."

"It's February. Christmas and New Years' just went by and I didn't even realize. I haven't seen my parents since October and I don't even know when the next time I'll be able to go home is. I miss Konoha and real seasons and I can only relax when it's scheduled." She let all of it out in one breath and then shook her head. "I know this is what I signed up for, but sometimes I just want a little privacy. I don't want to worry that paparazzi are trying to climb up the building to my balcony."

"Has it been worse?" Sasuke asked her, frowning.

"A bit. Which I expected," Sakura said. "I talked to Konan about it. We're doing a song together for my album and that's where the conversation ended up. Inevitable, I guess." Konan, once an extremely famous singer, had lost some of her identity when she had started dating one half of the world-famous rock duo Akatsuki.

"We should get an apartment, then," Sasuke said. "Together."

"For real?" Sakura looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I mean, you're ready for that?" Their first attempt to find an apartment had fizzled out for obvious reasons (the breakup mess).

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Let's do it." He looked thoughtful. "I'll look around. Know a few good areas."

"Okay," Sakura said, smiling. The thought of a place of their own, unbothered by paparazzi or unexpected interruptions, immediately made her feel better.

* * *

**A/N:** Happy holidays :)


	16. Alone Together

Sakura turned in a circle, staring at the walls and huge windows. "Wow," she breathed. "This is amazing. Can we afford it?"

Sasuke snorted, then realized how insensitive that was. Even though he hadn't come from money, he'd gotten so used to it not being an issue. But Sakura was still new to this. "Yeah, we can," he said, amending his tone.

"That was probably a stupid question," Sakura said. "It's just…Weird, you know?"

Sasuke nodded. He remembered the first awe of being able to afford a whole new kind of lifestyle. Now he was far removed from any feelings of worry about money.

"I really love it," Sakura said.

Sasuke smirked. "Thought you might." It was the first apartment he had visited, and immediately he'd known it was the right one. It was three rooms: a large, high-ceilinged living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen much more spacious than the one in Sakura's apartment.

Sakura shook her head, amused. "Should we start by renting, do you think? Is that an option?"

Sasuke nodded. "We can get a three month lease on it." They both had summer tours, which he was trying not to think about, so it didn't make sense to keep an apartment while neither of them would be in the city.

The apartment was already lightly furnished, nothing particularly interesting but all of it functional and useful. Sakura already looked excited at the possibilities.

It took two weeks to figure out the particulars of the lease, but finally they had two keys and were standing in a living room that they could call their own, at least for the time being. Not that they spent much time there, because of schedules. Sasuke was itching for a night alone with her, unbothered by anything.

Unfortunately, that didn't seem likely for a while. The band was at the end of the production period on the album, and Sasuke was in and out of the studio to approve final changes to certain songs. He was also attempting to ignore the constant media coverage of his and Sakura's relationship, though they didn't have much to report on. The awards season had ended, so any opportunities to catch them in public were few and far between. Sakura was in the studio or doing press all day every day, and even if their schedules had been more relaxed, neither of them wanted to tempt paparazzi by going out together.

He couldn't tell if the storm over their relationship had died down because of hype over coming albums. Sakura had told him she was getting questions about him in interviews, but not nearly as many as she'd expected. She had mentioned Konan before, but Sasuke privately thought that it was a very different situation for Sakura, who wasn't nearly at the height of her career. Her own momentum and sheer ability to stand out would ensure that nothing overshadowed her. At least, he hoped so.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't really explain it, but he felt more relaxed at the new apartment. He didn't feel like he had to maintain any kind of front with Sakura, he had always felt like that, but having their own place intensified the feeling. He'd only told Kakashi about it out of necessity.

Kakashi had promised to keep the address a secret from the rest of the team, so for now Sasuke was going to live in the dreamworld with the expectation that no one would come to bother them there. For now, it was worth it. Being alone gave them nights to themselves, and it was already doing good for Sakura's music. He came home one night, his guitar over his shoulder, to find her writing in the sparsely furnished living room.

"Hey," she said, giving him a smile.

"Hi," Sasuke said. "You want me to leave you alone?"

"No, it's fine. I don't have my guitar or a piano so it's probably a waste of time to do anything else tonight."

"Where's your guitar?"

"It's at the studio. I got rushed out early and it got left behind. But it's fine, no one will touch it. At least, I hope not." She frowned. "It's kind of frustrating, though, I wanted to have this song done but I can't figure out chords in my mind."

Sasuke put his guitar case on the table. "You want to play mine?"

Sakura opened her mouth but didn't say anything for a moment. "Wait, seriously?" She looked shocked.

"You let me play yours," he said, shrugging. It seemed only fair, and she actually needed it. Sakura had told him he was the only person she trusted with his guitar, and Sasuke realized that by now the opposite was true too. Before recently, he wouldn't have even thought about loaning someone his guitar, let alone touching it.

"I—Okay." Sakura opened the case and picked up his guitar gently. She slid her fingers over the neck and body, feeling the worn patches. "How long have you had this one?"

"Since high school," Sasuke said. It was one of his two personal guitars, the ones he used for writing. He had multiple show guitars, because sound wasn't as important for blowout performances. "I was sixteen when I got it." It had cost him most of his savings, so it was a good thing a music career had worked out in the end.

"Wow," Sakura said. She played a few chords and smiled. "Nice sound."

Sasuke rolled his eyes but was satisfied all the same.

"Why don't you play acoustic?" She asked him.

Sasuke shrugged. "Sometimes I do. Not really an acoustic band, though." He had an acoustic guitar, but it rarely came out of its case for multiple reasons.

"Yeah," Sakura said. "Oh well."

"You buy your first guitar?" Sasuke asked her.

Sakura laughed. "That's a long story. My boyfriend gave me my first semi-decent one. I mean, it was a crappy hand-me-down from his brother, but I didn't have money for anything better so it was great. The one before that was an old guitar from my middle school. It was probably as good as 'used middle school guitar' sounds, I think. Always out of tune, really tinny sound."

"Boyfriend?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't want to know the particulars of my love life," Sakura said, amused.

"This was high school, right."

"Freshman year." She grinned. "Since we're having a nice heart to heart here, I should tell you that he was part of a sequence of a few boys. I was a heartbreaker. After I learned, of course."

Sasuke snorted. "Yeah?" He had no doubt that people had fallen in love with her at every turn since she was young.

"Oh yeah." Then she laughed. "Nope. I fall in love way too easily. Maybe that's why I can write so much. My friend Ino, on the other hand…She knows exactly how to break people's hearts."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"She's way more confident, as far as this stuff goes," Sakura said. "More experience."

"You've clearly had experience," he muttered, thinking back to the club in Iwa.

Sakura rolled her eyes, but he could see she was blushing. "Not as much as you'd think from the way I acted that night in Iwa," she said.

It was the first time Iwa had come up by name between them in conversation. "Hn," Sasuke said.

"Can I ask you a serious question? Don't get annoyed," Sakura said.

"Yeah?"

"Were you just looking for a hook-up that night? I know you were drunk, but I was probably an easy target to you guys, so…"

Sasuke frowned. "Has that been bothering you this whole time?"

"Actually, no," Sakura said. "I've sort of discounted the whole thing. So if the answer's yes, I promise I won't hold it against you. I just didn't feel like I could ask you about it before now."

Sasuke sighed. "The answer's no," he muttered, knowing he had to be truthful. This was Sakura, after all. He had nothing to protect in terms of reputation. "Thought you were pretty, obviously. But I don't do that kind of shit." Except when a ton of alcohol was involved. And before Sakura.

Sakura seemed genuinely surprised at the response, and he frowned. "What."

"No, I just…I figured you hooked up with a lot of people. Because you could, or you needed it."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, uncomfortable with the fact that Sakura suspected the truth. "Sometimes," he muttered. "None of it meant anything."

"Well, you've covered your tracks pretty thoroughly. No alleged love child, or anything."

"It wasn't like I did it everywhere I went," Sasuke muttered, irritated.

"I'm kidding," Sakura said. "You're more responsible than you look."

"What's that supposed to mean," Sasuke said.

"You know what it means," Sakura said, shaking her head. She pulled her notepad close to her again. "I should focus."

Sasuke left her alone and went to the bedroom to work, listening to the light sounds of his guitar in her hands.

* * *

On the night of the band's album release at the end of February, Sasuke was home with Sakura. It was the quietest release he had ever had; there was no crazy party, and he wasn't around to hear his bandmates' excitement. Sakura had her laptop open, and was nodding along to whatever was playing in her headphones. She had refused to listen to the majority of the album until it came out for the rest of the world. Sasuke felt a rush of satisfaction at the sign that she was enjoying it. He cared about her opinion regarding the new music much more than he wanted to.

He glanced at her laptop screen to see a window of a rankings chart pulled up simultaneously with a review of the new album. Sakura pulled off her headphones when he caught her eye.

"This is what I'd be doing anyway," Sakura said, when she noticed Sasuke casting an annoyed look at her screen. "It's not for your benefit."

Sasuke rolled his eyes but smirked. It made him slightly uncomfortable, but he appreciated that Sakura didn't change the way she listened to new music because he was around.

"It's different with an insider perspective, though," Sakura said. She started to grin as she read. "Like, I don't want to assume anything, but I'm pretty sure I was a firsthand witness to the romantic indecision of 'Rattled.'"

"Cocky. Didn't even write that one." That was a lie; he'd written the bridge and the second verse, one of his only lyrical contributions to the album.

Sakura laughed, clearly not put off. "Okay, fine," she said, pulling her headphones on again.

"Have you listened to the whole thing?" Sasuke couldn't resist asking.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just about finished with a second round," Sakura said.

"Seriously?" She hadn't reacted strongly to anything in the time Sasuke had been here, and he had the sudden, terrifying thought that she hated it.

"Yeah, I don't read reviews until I've listened to every song and formed my own opinion. It's sort of a serious process." She grinned. "I like seeing who I agree and disagree with. And I've been keeping track of the charts."

She turned back to her computer and Sasuke glared at it. Clearly Sakura could sense his stare because she turned to him, looking exasperated. "What?"

"How come you haven't said anything about it." He was trying to make his voice sound neutral and probably failing.

Sakura frowned, and then started to smile. "You want my opinion?"

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered. "Of course I do."

Sakura closed her laptop gently. "I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it. So I thought it would be easier if I was casual about it. I mean, the second time I listen to an album, I usually play it out loud, and that'd be really strange."

"Just tell me what you thought of it," Sasuke said. He felt like he was turning red.

Sakura shook her head, looking amused. "I think it's awesome. It might be my favorite from you guys. God that's weird to say. I mean, my taste has changed since your first album, so that might be the reason, but…Jesus. I don't know how you guys do it."

Sasuke started to smile. Having Sakura's good opinion had taken a weight off his shoulders that he didn't even know was there.

"And I'm not just saying that because we're dating," Sakura said, frowning at his smirk. "If you think I'm going to boost your ego just because—"

"I know," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "So what didn't you like about it?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Where's this masochistic side coming from?"

"It wasn't perfect," Sasuke muttered. There were things that he would've changed if he'd had more time, that was always the case.

"Of course it wasn't perfect, have you ever heard a perfect record?" Sakura shook her head. "Fine. You want me to be ruthless?"

"Aa."

Sakura turned to face him. "I thought 'Every Day' was predictable. It sounded like anyone could've written it, to be honest. It didn't really fit with the rest of the album, considering a lot of it was pretty experimental. I'm guessing that's the next single?"

"Tch. Yeah." Sasuke couldn't help smiling slightly.

"And I thought the lyrics of 'Rattled' were too cliché, but that's love." Sakura shrugged. "The rest of it was really fucking good, and I don't say that about much."

"What'd you think of the chord progressions in 'Don't Hold Your Breath'?" Sasuke asked, frowning. He'd had the most trouble with that song, it had been one of the last additions.

Sakura laughed. "Let me listen to it again, will you? Can I play it out loud?"

"Sure," Sasuke said.

Sakura unplugged her headphones and let the song play through the laptop speakers. "Oh, this was one of my favorites," she said as Sasuke's beginning guitar solo ended. They were quiet through the song. Sasuke couldn't tell how he felt about it anymore, he'd heard the song way too many times. Sakura paused it after the bridge. "That, you mean?" He nodded. "It's good. Pretty gentle, for you. That was you, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Who else would it be?"

"I don't know, maybe Naruto's secretly the best guitarist in the band." She grinned at his furious look.

"How much of the music did you write for this one?" Sakura said.

"A lot of it," Sasuke said. "Kiba and Naruto did a bit more than last time, though. Probably why it sounds so different."

"That's cool," Sakura said. "I sort of doubted you'd be able to top the last album, but you definitely have."

"Nice to know," Sasuke muttered, rolling his eyes. She was pretty blasé about doubting them.

"If it makes you feel any better, that was before I knew you," Sakura said. She paused. "You weren't really worried about me not liking it, were you?"

Sasuke shrugged, not able to blow it off. He couldn't hide anything around her, could he?

"Sasuke…" Sakura's look was annoyingly tender, and he glared at her. "Okay, I'll shut up." But she was smiling. "I just have one other question: how come you didn't put my name anywhere? It rhymes with so many things, you know?" She couldn't keep a straight face and Sasuke just shook his head.

Sakura stood up. "Do you want food? I was going to make dinner, for once. Can you believe we don't have anywhere to go?"

"Tch. You need help?"

"I hope I can make pasta on my own," Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded and settled back in the couch, opening his laptop to send an email to Kakashi, who was updating him with album statistics. When he was done, he went to join Sakura in the kitchen.

She was on her phone in front of the stove, and Sasuke came up silently behind her.

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Sakura said when he slid his hands around her waist, but she was laughing. "What if I dropped my phone in hot water?"

"Your people would get over it," he muttered, pulling her hair away from her neck. He knew he must be in some weird state of euphoria from the album release, because he was rarely this forward.

Sakura turned her head so their lips met. She smelled like citrus and something flowery, probably her shampoo. She moved so she was facing him. "Congratulations," she said between kisses. "I never said that earlier, did I?"

"No," Sasuke said. "But thanks." He gripped her waist with one hand and held her neck with the other, running his thumb from jaw to collarbone. Sakura held his shoulders, one hand pulling down the collar of his t-shirt as she put more pressure into the kiss. Her lips moved against his, and her teeth came down slightly on his lower lip. Reflex tightened his hold on her waist, and Sasuke felt the sliver of skin where her shirt was riding up. Sakura pressed her body closer against his, and he thought he could feel her heartbeat.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Water's boiling," Sakura murmured, breaking away from Sasuke's arms. He grunted, not ready to let her go. Lately it seemed like moments like this were rare. Normally Sakura would come back to the apartment too exhausted to do much except fall asleep. Sasuke didn't mind, and understood exactly how she felt, but both of them having demanding schedules made for a relationship that sometimes felt like an afterthought (especially as far as physical activity went). "Sasuke…" He hadn't let go of her waist, but Sasuke pulled his hands away as soon as she said his name.

He loved the way it sounded in her mouth, no matter how many times she said it.

"I was going to say before we got distracted," Sakura said, "that the review from Music Weekly is supposed to be out any minute."

"Really?" Sasuke took a step back and glanced at her phone. Music Weekly was one of the most influential publications when it came to newly released music; they were notoriously harsh, but a good review could boost album sales (and popularity) by a ridiculous margin.

Sakura nodded. "Do you want me to get my computer and check again? I was just refreshing the page on my phone."

"Sure," Sasuke said.

Sakura retrieved her computer from the living room. "It's up," she said a second later, her eyes wide.

Sasuke joined her by the counter in a flash, and the two of them bent over the article.

_ALBUM REVIEW: Uncommon Ground – Firestyle_

_Rock fans, rejoice: the music world's favorite four boys are back with their fourth album, which promises a healthy dose of both unrelenting anger anthems and acoustic ballads. Clearly, this band is nowhere near the bottom of their inspiration well: they're still using new techniques, intent on proving that they deserve to stick around._

_In fact, Uncommon Ground might be Firestyle's best album to date. Moving from gritty to something slightly more experimental, primary songwriters Uchiha and Nara have shown talent beyond anything anyone could've expected with their first hit, 'Explosive.' Firestyle continues to push the boundaries of rock with both lyrics and innovative musical combinations. From the intricacies of the pulse-pounding 'Rattled' to the unexpectedly tender guitar work on 'Don't Hold Your Breath', Uncommon Ground begs to be played over and over, skipping nothing. This is an album that should have a place on every music lover's shelf for years to come._

_Standouts: 'Don't Hold Your Breath', 'Two By Four (feat. Killer B)', 'Rattled'_

They had given it five stars.

"Sasuke, oh my God!" Sakura said, throwing her arms around him. Sasuke jumped at the unexpected contact, but reciprocated without thinking about it.

"Holy shit," he muttered, but he was starting to smile. This was by far the best review they had ever gotten from Music Weekly.

As if on cue, his phone went off. "TEME DID YOU SEE THE REVIEW?" It was Naruto.

"Tch. Yeah."

"That's all you're gonna say?!"

"What do you expect." After glancing at Sakura, who looked amused, he couldn't help grinning.

"You better be celebrating," Naruto said. "Is Sakura there?"

"Aa," Sasuke said. "Of course she is."

"Good," Naruto said. "I'm gonna go, Kakashi just showed up with champagne. Classy, right?"

"See you tomorrow, dobe," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. He hung up and turned to Sakura.

"So how _do_ you want to celebrate?" She asked. "Because I'm sure it would take about a minute to fill this place with people for a nice big party. Give away the secret hideout." He knew she was teasing him.

"Got a better idea." He grabbed her hand and Sakura let him lead the way into their new bedroom.

* * *

They both woke up peacefully late the next morning.

"I'm gonna take a shower," Sasuke said, stretching and getting out of bed. Sakura nodded, absorbed in her phone. She was still in her pajamas, the sheets pulled up around her. She had earphones in, and he wondered if she was listening to the album again.

A few minutes after he got in the shower, however, there was a loud knock on the bathroom door. "Sasuke, sorry, can I hop in for a minute with you? I didn't realize what time it was, I have to go really soon."

"Yeah," he called, not really thinking about it. Sakura was a foggy shape through the glass as she undressed. Tendrils of steam curled out of the shower when she opened the door, and then she was sliding into the hot air with him.

Sasuke had seen her body more times than he could count by now, but it felt new when she was standing right next to him.

"Hi," Sakura said. She was blushing. Sasuke smirked and she shook her head.

The water pounded down on both of them. Sakura reached for her bottle of shampoo and lathered her hair. It was strange to watch, but also weirdly intimate (especially considering they were in an extremely confined space). She tilted her head back to wash the suds out of her hair, closing her eyes. Sasuke slid an arm around her to get his own soap and Sakura backed into him to give his arm more space.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Sakura said, turning and looking from his chest up to his face. Sasuke smirked and shrugged, agreeing with her.

Sakura slid a hand up around his neck and kissed him, pulling back when the water droplets started to run down their faces and into their mouths. She laughed slightly, and Sasuke held her hips. Her skin was slippery because of the water, but he could feel the heat pulsing from her skin. His fingers ran over the bumps of her hipbones and up to her waist, but he frowned when he looked at her torso.

Her schedule was clearly taking a toll on her body. She was skinnier than she'd been when they had met, not that anyone else would notice a difference. But he could feel her ribs poking out from under her skin. Whatever ridiculous meal regimen she had been put on clearly wasn't doing anything to help.

Without the disguise of makeup, it was also evident how tired she was every day, even despite the breaks like last night. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes, which were made more visible in the truth of shower spray and sopping wet hair.

"What?" Sakura asked. Her hands were back in her hair, massaging in some kind of product.

"Nothing," Sasuke said, knowing she wouldn't want him to bring up her weight.

"This isn't awful, is it?" She said, and seemed to be asking herself as much as him. "Showers feel way smaller with two people in them."

"Tch," Sasuke said. Nothing was awful with her, even a cramped shower, but he didn't exactly want to say that.

Sakura rinsed her hair and slipped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel. When Sasuke finished a minute later, she was leaving the bathroom. He got out just in time to catch her before she was out the door.

"I think I'll be in the studio until late," Sakura said as she put on shoes. She had dried her hair roughly with a towel and pulled on a sweatshirt. She could probably pass for a high school student, Sasuke thought with some alarm. "Good luck this afternoon."

"Hn. Thanks," Sasuke said. The band had a big radio interview later that day for the release of the album. He wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

**A/N: **_Felt like prime time for a shower scene. Happy new year!_


	17. Bottled Up

"I'm here in the studio with the boys of Firestyle, who just released their latest album, Uncommon Ground. I think I can safely say it has already taken the world by storm. This is what, number four?" The interviewer smiled at them, and the cameras panned to show the whole band.

"Yep," Naruto said.

"Wow. I remember when you all were brand new. Looks like nothing's slowed down since then!"

"You could say that," Shikamaru drawled.

"This new album's pretty different from your last one. What made you guys make the jump to a different sound?"

"Music's always changing," Shikamaru said. "We didn't want to get stuck in a rut."

"We've changed, too," Kiba said. "The new stuff reflects that."

"We hope," Shikamaru said.

The interviewer laughed. "How divisive is your recording process? Do you guys tend to disagree if someone proposes something new?"

"We're all pretty open, so no," Shikamaru said. "If someone's suggestion doesn't work for the rest of the band, usually it's for a good reason."

"We all bring different ideas to the table," Naruto said.

"Sasuke and Shikamaru are the toughest," Kiba said. "They're perfectionists."

"Interesting," the interviewer said, grinning.

"We're not perfectionists. That's impossible in music," Shikamaru said lazily. "But we like to be satisfied with whatever we put out. Sometimes that involves higher standards."

"Yeah. When we met, Sasuke told me I was too enthusiastic and way offbeat when I played," Naruto said. "I almost didn't make it in."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sasuke muttered.

"Well, clearly that expectation level has been good for you in the long run," the interviewer. "You're still considered one of the best rock bands out there, not to mention the youngest."

"We're all wondering when we'll stop being called the youngest," Kiba joked. "There are a lot of good groups coming up."

"So you won't be disappointed to lose your title?"

Shikamaru scoffed. "Nah."

"Well, I have to commend you on handling that label for as long as you have. No scandals, no outbursts, no black marks…How do you manage not to let fame get to you?"

"It's about putting things in perspective," Kiba said, and Sasuke barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes.

"We've got lives outside of the band," Naruto said. "We hang out with regular people, ya know. That keeps you normal."

"The fans are great," Shikamaru said. "Meeting people who like your music keeps everything real."

"Deep down we're just four guys from Oto!" Naruto said. "That's not gonna change."

The interviewer smiled. "Do you find that your experiences affect your music? I assume that your lives are very different now than they were even two years ago, when you released your second album."

"Yeah, life definitely affects the music we write. If we didn't have the kind of exposure we do now, we'd probably still be recording crappy punk demos in my garage," Kiba said. "We've had a lot of opportunities and encouragement to expand our sound."

The interviewer, however, kept reaching. "Sasuke, you and Sakura Haruno made quite a stir a few weeks back. How did that relationship affect your songwriting for this album?"

"It didn't," Sasuke said shortly.

"We try to keep our personal lives separate from our professional lives," Shikamaru said.

"Well, that's one thing, but dating Sakura Haruno is another," the interviewer said.

"Not really," Sasuke said, trying to remain neutral.

"He knows how to handle it," Naruto said, clapping Sasuke on the back obnoxiously but saving the interview. Sasuke could almost hear Kakashi exhaling with relief from the other room.

* * *

While Sasuke was at the interview, Sakura had a meeting with her team at the record label. They would be deciding the final track list for the album, and she was excited and slightly nervous.

"I really want to record 'Wake Up and Smell the Poison' by Firestyle," Sakura said once they were all sitting around the large conference table. The idea had been in her mind for months, and she'd figured this was the best time to bring it up. "It's from their first album, so it should be available by now, right?"

Orochimaru barely hesitated. "I'm afraid that's not in the cards. There are legal issues, since Firestyle is signed to Hidden Sound Records. Unfortunately personal connections," he smirked at Sakura, "won't help in this case." A few of the other people tittered, and Sakura frowned.

"I realize that," she said, "but other artists cover each other all the time."

"This is a complicated contract issue," Orochimaru said.

"It would also go against your image," one of the producers said.

Orochimaru nodded in agreement, and Sakura felt completely trapped.

"I don't have to stick to one image, though, do I?" She asked, eyes narrowed.

"Well, in a way…Yes, you do," Orochimaru said. "Imagine what people would think if you started singing only dark ballads?"

"But this is one song," Sakura said.

"I'm going to have to put my foot down on this, Sakura," Orochimaru said. "I'm sorry." He didn't look particularly apologetic.

"So on to our next topic," one of the producers said. "We have a few songs from the archive that we want to try. They'd be great singles, very upbeat."

"You mean songs that have already been written?" Sakura asked.

"Well, yes. We just have to make sure you have a few songs that appeal universally. This is your first truly full-length album, after all. Your first EP made a splash, and we want to keep that going."

"So you're saying that's only possible if I sing someone else's song?" Sakura didn't want to get defensive, but she couldn't help it.

"Not someone else's song," Orochimaru said, like he was talking to a child. "Just a recent song from the archive that no one else has taken. Songwriters have been working to suit your specific needs."

"I'm sorry, but I've always written my own songs," Sakura said. "It wouldn't feel right singing something that's not by me and then passing it off as my own."

"Now, that's a bit of an exaggeration," one of the record label people said. "This is done all the time."

"As unpleasant as this will be to bring up," Orochimaru said, "I should remind you of your contract, Sakura. The label withholds the right to make executive decisions regarding the content of your albums." He smiled at her and tucked a strand of greasy hair behind his ear.

Sakura couldn't say anything. She was backed into a corner, and no one at this table sided with her. Not for the first time, she felt completely powerless. Her life was in the hands of people whose first interest was making as much money as possible.

It was fine, she told herself. Only two of the nine songs on the album weren't written by her. She could've been given a deal that was much worse.

She would have to rise above it, Sakura resolved, and she pushed away her doubt. She would sing the songs better than anyone could, and not question the choices that had been made for her. This was fame, and there was no way to do it your own way. She'd known that when she'd signed her music contract, no matter how naïve she'd been about certain aspects of the industry.

* * *

"Five more reps," the trainer said, and Sakura exhaled tiredly. "You're almost at your goal, which is great!" It was an hour after the meeting, and she'd been driven to the gym for an intense workout.

Sakura almost asked what her goal was, because she had no idea, but instead she just picked up the weights again.

This was the most fit she'd ever been in her life; Sakura had always been in shape, but all the working out had given her a body she hadn't anticipated. Still, it never seemed to be enough for the people around her. She had thought they would decrease the demand of her weekly workout regimens, but so far that hadn't happened. If anything, they had increased the amount of time she was spending in the gym. _Probably in advance of summer touring_, Sakura thought, more ruefully than she expected. She supposed it was the same for everyone else in her position. Karui was probably in the gym seven days a week in preparation for her dance routines. Suddenly Sakura was grateful that any dancing she had to do was minimal. Still, she smiled when she thought about teasing Ino that she might be able to beat the blonde's pushup record.

Sakura decided then that she wouldn't tell Sasuke about the record label meeting. She knew he would get angry on her behalf, and while she appreciated that, she didn't want to stir anything up. Her album was the most important thing right now, and she wanted it out in the world without any complications, even if that meant she had to compromise.

"I hear you're living somewhere new," Shizune said later that evening during a fitting. Sakura was trying on a variety of outfits for radio appearances.

"I'm keeping my options open," Sakura said, and then realized she hated how that sounded. "I mean, we're leasing an apartment, and seeing how it goes."

"I think that's smart," Shizune said with a slight smile. "Wow, that looks _great_. They said the length was good, but I think I'll bring the hem down an inch."

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. A year ago she wouldn't have recognized herself in the tight, sparkly dress. Now, necklines and skin were just part of the job.

* * *

Sasuke returned to the apartment after they finished the interview, but then he got a text from Sakura saying that she would be staying at her own apartment that night. Sasuke decided to join back up with the rest of the band. The other place felt empty without Sakura there; for obvious reasons, it still didn't feel particularly lived-in.

"Hey, look who's realized he still lives here," Kiba said when Sasuke walked in. He and Naruto were lounging on the couches in the living room. "Sakura ditch you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's busy with album stuff." He knew she'd had an official meeting today, but they hadn't talked other than a brief text exchange earlier when she'd asked how the interview had gone.

"That's gotta be crazy," Naruto said. "Remember our second album?"

"Hn." Sasuke didn't want to remember, because those months had been crazy. He couldn't remember getting any sleep because of their schedules, and every other article had questioned whether they could live up to their debut.

They had, obviously, but public opinion (and skepticism) had a greater effect on Sasuke than he wanted to admit.

He wasn't even nineteen when they released their second album, barely a year after their first. But he'd already learned how to numb himself to the chaos. By the time they were touring, he was good at blocking all of it out, not letting anything hit him or dig deep.

"How _is_ she?" Naruto asked Sasuke. "We haven't seen her in like three weeks."

Truthfully, Sasuke wasn't sure, and not being able to answer confidently made him slightly guilty. She seemed happy enough, but he could see the telltale signs of stress underneath her exterior and positive outlook. He didn't think fame would really get to her, she was too grounded to get carried away in it, but he wondered if the work would get to her eventually. She had as little free time as him, and her album wasn't even coming out for a month. It was evident that her team was working her to the bone.

* * *

When Sasuke next saw Sakura, they were meeting at the apartment two days later. She came in wearing a nicer outfit, her hair curled and her guitar case slung over her back.

"Where were you? Interview?" Sasuke asked her.

Sakura shook her head. "Studio. I had a few things to rerecord."

Sasuke didn't comment on her appearance, knowing it would bother her. "Hn."

He wasn't quite sure how it happened or what she'd been told, but there was a shift after that. Sakura stopped leaving the apartment with wet hair or wearing hoodies. Now there were no early morning showers without blow dryers and a full face of makeup. She was smiling more and on the phone more often, calls to promote the album in advance.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but he couldn't help wondering if he should, before it was too late. He knew all too well what fame was capable of.

* * *

**A/N: **_Sorry, it's been too long. Reviews would be great, though, I need some motivation. _


	18. Lost It To Trying

There was a belated album release party at the end of March, organized by some of the producers when they found out Kakashi had agreed to the band's request not to have a huge thing on release day, which was customary.

"Only because this is your fourth rodeo," he'd said, shaking his head.

They were required to attend this party, however, so their earlier request had been useless. Apparently now there were all kinds of VIP guests coming, which Sasuke wasn't exactly enthused about. He hated social events like this, especially when he was required to mingle and rub shoulders with whoever the hell wanted to get close.

But then Sakura was cleared as his guest, and suddenly the prospects for the evening looked slightly brighter.

The band had to perform one song for show, and since none of their music was particularly well suited to a formal party in a lounge, they were going acoustic. It wasn't something they did often, but Sasuke had always liked playing acoustic arrangement of their songs.

From the makeshift stage set up near the middle of the room, everyone's faces were clear in the shifting lighting of the room. He could see Sakura, standing alone away from the stage but getting glances from the rest of the room. She was wearing a short green dress and heels that gave her four extra inches. Sasuke was so used to being around her in the apartment, where she was typically barefoot or wearing socks, and her eyes were level with his chin. It wasn't immediately noticeable (particularly when she was onstage) but Sakura was small, and standing next to her in heels felt different.

Sasuke played his part of the song barely thinking about it, watching Sakura's reaction and almost missing one of his cues. He couldn't quite play their new music on autopilot yet. _That's a good thing_, he told himself, but he knew it would be different by the end of their upcoming tour. By then, he'd be able to play all of it half-asleep. It was a good thing Naruto liked to change things up, otherwise all of their repeated sets would be a monotonous grind.

When he came back out after they'd stowed their instruments away, Sasuke was surprised to see Sakura talking to Kakashi. _Probably chatting her up_, Sasuke thought ruefully. Kakashi could strike up a conversation with anyone. He watched Sakura laugh at something Kakashi was saying and then approached them.

"Ah, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "I hope it's alright that I introduced myself without you being here?"

"'Course," Sasuke said. Sakura looked amused.

"I hope I didn't look too clueless," she said to Kakashi with a smile. "I don't know many people here."

"Most of the people here are in the same boat," Kakashi said. "They just don't like to admit it."

"Hm." Sakura looked around at the groups of mingling people. "To be honest, the most impressive thing in this business is how easy people can fake it." She shook her head with a smile, but Sasuke frowned. He couldn't tell what was in her voice.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "I quite agree."

"Sorry, I should be asking you interesting questions," Sakura said, taking a sip from her glass of champagne.

Kakashi looked amused. "Such as?"

"You know, how you found Firestyle, how you've put up with Sasuke all these years…"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Kakashi laughed. "Excellent question."

"Thanks," Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi gave him the okay that he could leave around ten, and Sasuke immediately took him up on it. Sakura had stuck with him for most of the night, and she agreed readily when Sasuke suggested going. She had been in the studio all day, though she'd been more than happy to come to the party with him.

There were hired guards standing outside to escort people to their cars, and Sasuke immediately saw why. Paparazzi were lined up around the block, their cameras blinding as soon as Sasuke and Sakura appeared in the doorway.

"Over here, Sakura!"

"Sasuke!"

They sped up but some of the photographers were jogging alongside them, pushing up against the hired guards.

"Who else did you sleep with to get where you are?" Someone yelled.

"Ugh," Sakura said, disgusted. "Come on." She walked faster, reaching the limo first. She ducked inside and Sasuke pulled the door closed, hard.

"Do you get that often?" He asked her, furious just thinking about it.

"Not to that extent," Sakura said.

They were both out of breath, and Sakura didn't say anything else. She didn't even look angry, which surprised Sasuke. The Sakura he'd gotten to know didn't take shit.

Not that you could say anything to a paparazzi without them taking it and twisting it however they wanted. No matter how antagonizing the comments, indulge them with one angry reply and they'd make it look like you were irrational and manic.

The situation was especially delicate in Sakura's case. Sasuke had a feeling they were itching to catch her in a scandal. His presence in her life clearly hadn't helped matters, which was to be expected.

Still, hearing them say things like that made him want to forgo all knowledge of the way media worked in favor of punching the asshole in the face.

"Forget about it," Sakura said quietly. "I can tell you're stewing. There's nothing you can do. I'm fine." Her tone was final, and though Sasuke rolled his eyes, he tried to put it out of his mind. Sakura had a thick skin, and didn't need him defending her honor. If she said she could handle it, she could.

At this point, Sasuke wondered how long she could go until she dropped. _Probably for as long as she needs too, _he thought.

* * *

Apparently paparazzi had a secrecy pact with each other, because there was no outrage on her behalf in the media over the next few days for what the one guy had said to her. _What did you expect_, Sakura thought to herself as she climbed the stairs up to her and Sasuke's shared apartment. If she'd gone after the guy, then it would be a different story.

People were probably thinking the same thing as that guy anyway, weren't they?

The thing was, she'd known to expect this when she and Sasuke had decided to make their relationship public. It hadn't bothered then in nearly the same way it did now, because she'd known it wasn't true. She'd gotten where she was because of her music. Looks had something to do with it, too, but her love life did _not_. So why was it nagging her? _Who else did you sleep with to get where you are? _Was that really something people wondered? Sure, it was a great way to provoke her, but was it grounded in truth?

_Don't be ridiculous_, Sakura thought. _You're just tired. _It felt like she hadn't had a solid night of sleep in weeks. She'd been trying her best to keep up with the schedule they'd given her, but it was all coming to a head with the last few weeks before her album was released. She had overcome so many insecurities, had even been having a good time some nights. Why were they all resurfacing?

She unlocked the door and went in, dropping her bag on the kitchen counter. The apartment was quiet and empty; Sasuke had said he had something that afternoon with the rest of the band.

Sakura had never thought to consider the noise difference in a nicer part of the city. Even the sound technology of this apartment was higher quality than the other building: when the windows were closed, no outside sound came in. Sakura had always liked to leave the windows open to let in the sounds of the city. When she'd first arrived in Kumo, it was easy to get high on the energy around her.

Now sometimes that chaos felt overwhelming. She was constantly being shuttled from place to place. She tried to have an endless reserve of energy, but it was getting harder and harder. Especially when the paparazzi and everyone else breathed down her neck and tried to get inside any tiny crack they could find.

The worst part was, Sakura knew she should've expected this. Well, she_ had _known to expect it, but she'd thought she could handle it. She was making music, after all, and that should make it all worth it. There was always a price to pay, and if all she had to do was get yelled at once in a while by obnoxious strangers in order to use the best equipment in the industry, get advice from her musical idols, and be able to play music for people for a living, then it had to be worth it. Didn't it?

_Of course it is_, she thought, though a voice in the back of her mind said, _that's not all it is. _But she couldn't complain about her routine. She'd vowed never to act like a spoiled, entitled celebrity. She imagined complaining to Ino about the constant fittings and workouts, and hated herself just thinking about that conversation. She'd asked for it when she'd told Orochimaru she wanted to be well-known for her music, back in the beginning. Appearance was part of the package, she'd always known it.

And she couldn't talk to Sasuke about it. It was slightly different for her, of course, but Sasuke appeared to get through the day-to-day problems of fame without any issue. She didn't want to sound like a child. He already knew she was naïve, and she wanted to get through this on her own. Even if all her stress was threatening to eat her from the inside out. In the past, there had always been someone there to talk to when the stress was building, whether it was Ino or her parents or one of her other friends. Now she didn't know who to turn to.

The curtains were open, showing the cloudless sky.

With a burst of anger, Sakura wrenched the curtains closed on the Kumo sun. It was always bright, always hot, and she'd never hated it more than now. She missed Konoha's cold winters, and she wanted to feel rain, and wind that was more than a breeze. Here the weather was dry and clear, the temperature varying only ten degrees. When Sakura had first moved here, that prospect seemed great. Now, all she wanted was the unpredictable weather of Konoha. As much as she wanted Kumo to be home, it never felt quite right. With Sasuke it had been better, but she'd never felt quite like herself here. Deep down, Sakura knew it wasn't the city's fault.

_I just want to see snow again_, she thought, and suddenly that was it. Everything from the past few weeks had culminated into this one childish, ridiculous desire, and it set her off.

* * *

The apartment door was unlocked, and Sasuke shook his head and smirked. Sakura never locked the door when she was home, which was a habit he'd never had. Sasuke had told her it was probably best they started locking it even when they were home, and Sakura had agreed, mildly exasperated.

The rare times when he came back to find her already here, she was typically humming or moving around the house. He'd never admit it, but coming home to the sound of Sakura's voice made him more content than anything in a long time. Naruto would make fun of him for becoming domestic or something, but Sasuke had stopped being bothered by this particular feeling.

It was unusually quiet, Sasuke realized, and his first thought was burglary. But nothing was out of place in the living room or the kitchen. He figured Sakura was sleeping. She was always tired lately, even if she didn't say anything about it.

He checked the bedroom just to make sure, and then stopped, startled.

She was perched on the bed, her back to him. He could see her stomach shaking with quiet sobs. "Sakura?" He asked, frowning.

She turned and looked up, startled. Tears had torn away her makeup. "I'm fine," she got out, waving a hand. "Just…I just need some time alone—" She choked on the words and Sasuke's mind was made up.

He crossed the room and sat next to her on the bed, his side touching hers. He reached an arm around her and immediately she curled into him, pressing her head into his chest.

"Hey," he said softly. If he had imagined this scenario, Sasuke thought he'd probably be clueless, but in the middle of it instinct found him. "It's fine." He held her and she soaked his t-shirt.

"I shouldn't—This is embarrassing," Sakura said. Her voice sounded raw, she could barely speak. He wondered with alarm how long she'd been crying before he got home. "You shouldn't have to be here, I just needed to get it all out."

"What's going on," Sasuke said.

"It's just—I like to pretend it doesn't affect me but it _does_, all the things they say. What that guy yelled, the other night, and…All of it. I hate being scrutinized for every little thing and I thought I could handle it but maybe I can't. I don't even _know_ anymore."

"Of course you can handle it," Sasuke said softly. His voice was low and calm. "If anyone can, it's you."

"What about you," Sakura said, letting out a humorless laugh. "Nothing affects you, it just bounces off."

"Because I don't feel it," Sasuke said. "Don't let myself feel it." _You're much stronger than I am_, he wanted to say.

"I wish I could do that," Sakura muttered.

"No you don't," Sasuke said.

"I'm so tired, Sasuke," she said, her voice aching. "And you're unbreakable, you don't let anything hit you."

"Not true," Sasuke muttered. The obvious exception to that was right next to him. "And you don't want to be like that."

"I overthink everything, and every little comment gets wedged in me no matter how much I try to brush it off. I can take constructive criticism, it's just the pressure about the album and my schedule and everything just came to a head. And I feel so stupid for complaining, I should be grateful this is even happening at all—"

Now Sasuke was seeing the problem, and with horror he realized he was partially responsible. He'd teased her about being naïve, which she'd obviously taken lightly. But he'd never given her the chance to talk about the things she wasn't comfortable with, to let her vent her frustrations. She'd been trying to keep up with him, and that was impossible. Sasuke had had years of experience and years of hardening himself to feeling anything. Sakura was new to fame, and open to emotion.

"You've got every right to complain," he said in a low voice. "Your life's insane right now." _And your team's not making it any easier._

Sakura gave a half-shrug. "I just didn't want to bring it up with you, it feels like we should try to separate the relationship from our public lives. And you're good at blowing things off, I'd feel obnoxious talking about it."

"I'm shit at this," Sasuke muttered. "You don't deserve that. Should've told you to talk to me about stuff." A part of him still cringed at that, at getting involved in personal, emotional conversations. But this was Sakura, and that was ridiculous.

Sakura shook her head. "You're not shit at it. You've just never had any practice, obviously." She sighed. "We've been pretending this goes both ways, and it hasn't been nearly as personal as it should be." She fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her face was red and blotchy.

Sasuke lay down next to her so they were shoulder to shoulder. "I was in foster care," Sasuke said. "Got good at shutting all of it out." That had been his priority, because when you never knew where you'd be in a year, getting attached was never a good idea. "Helped when…fame came up."

"I can imagine," Sakura said quietly.

"I never talk about this stuff," Sasuke said. "Should've been more open, I said I would." His past was always hard for him to talk about, but at least with Sakura it came more easily.

"But then life got in the way," Sakura said. "I don't know."

They were both silent for a minute. Sasuke spoke next.

"It was an orphanage until I was six, and then different families in Oto until high school," Sasuke said. Suddenly he wanted to tell her. "Wasn't in one house for longer than a year, usually. People take kids for the money, usually. Didn't have any awful foster parents, but they don't want to get attached since you're not there for a long time. So neither do you."

Sakura didn't try to say something sympathetic, and he was glad. "What happened in high school?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Basically lived at Naruto's and Shikamaru's. We were playing music together all the time by the end of sophomore year, wasn't much of a stretch. Slept on Naruto's couch a lot."

"And your foster family was fine with that?"

"Like I said. They never wanted to get attached." He hadn't kept in contact with any of his foster parents since middle school. The first few had told him to call regularly, and he had, until he'd come to the realization that things were always going to be changing. Then he'd realized it was easier to just cut himself off from all of it. People tended to be less inclined to warm up to a sullen, silent teenager.

Sakura frowned and bit her lip. "Do you remember…Your birth parents?"

Sasuke shook his head. Sometimes he thought he remembered his birth mother, but it had to be false memories. "Probably a good thing. Makes it easier."

Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder. "I…Well, I understand why you don't talk about it. You can't change years of a mentality in just a few months, that's obvious."

"Had a responsibility to you, though," Sasuke said, frustrated. "All because of my past that the fucking breakup happened."

"It was your fear of commitment," Sakura said. "Not to go all psychoanalyst on you. But now that I'm playing this whole fame game I can see why you don't want to make yourself vulnerable. It just…Amplifies anything you already feel."

Sasuke couldn't argue with that.

"Thanks for telling me," Sakura said, not including the 'finally' that Sasuke knew he deserved. "About the foster care."

"Should've told you earlier."

"How did you…Get through it? I know you said you stopped caring, but that can't have been the only thing."

"Music," he said with a shrug, and she nodded. It had always been his coping mechanism. Sakura didn't ask him to elaborate, and he knew she understood him perfectly.

She didn't say anything else, and when Sasuke shifted to look down at her, he saw that her eyes were closed. No wonder; she was probably exhausted, and an emotional breakdown didn't help that. Still, she'd sounded better by the time they'd been really talking.

He resolved to keep her in the apartment for the rest of the night, no matter the blowback from her team.

* * *

**A/N:**_ To the people who review as guests and ask me questions, you realize I can't respond to you directly, right? Lol I'd love to talk to you/answer specific questions, but preferably not through author's notes._

_Also I realize how long I've been gone, I know I say that every chapter but this time it's been over two months. I'm going to try and finish everything over the summer, so you can start to expect more frequent updates. Just finished up exams so hopefully the stress levels will be lower now. _


	19. Higher

Sasuke hadn't told anyone as much about his past as he'd told Sakura. Actually, he'd said nothing about it to anyone, a fact that was impressive considering the scrutiny the band members constantly came under, especially when they'd first come onto the music scene. Luckily people always seemed to be more interested in the present than the past, and there had never been a scandal that warranted the press digging into his home life (or lack of home life) for some stupid explanation of his behavior.

None of the band's families were vocal about the band's activities and stayed private, so eventually the press had given up on getting any kind of exclusive interviews. It hadn't stopped them from formulating all kinds of theories about childhood trouble and the band's inspirations, but without a basis in reality none of them took hold. Naruto liked to tell their origin story, but it was an abridged one.

Sasuke and Naruto had both been foster kids. Naruto, however, had been one of the lucky ones who'd been taken in permanently in middle school. Sasuke hadn't known him when he was still being shuttled around; they'd met in eighth grade, when Naruto was new to Oto. He'd introduced Sasuke to his foster father, a middle-aged guy named Jiraiya, and had been very open about the fact that he'd been in foster care until the previous year.

Later, Sasuke knew Naruto had talked about it so much because he'd been trying to make Sasuke feel more comfortable. It was his natural way with everyone. Until Shikamaru, Sasuke had actively avoided making friends, but Naruto refused to be brushed off. When Sasuke and Shikamaru started playing music together with the goal of creating a full band, Naruto had been Sasuke's immediate suggestion for a drummer, despite his ridiculous enthusiasm about everything.

Now he'd admit reluctantly that Naruto's enthusiasm was a blessing in disguise, because it was always useful both onstage and for the press. Especially at times like this. Sasuke was proud of the new album, but that didn't mean he liked talking about it to the people clamoring for interviews about their songwriting and recording process. It would be better when they were out on the road, when the only focus would be on their concerts. Their summer tour had sold out within minutes of tickets being available.

* * *

Sakura, however, was just entering the period of post-album chaos. The April release date loomed before her, though first single had been released three weeks before and had gone over extremely well. Sakura was pleased with the final product, if slightly unsatisfied because of the firm grip the other producers held on every song. She knew it was a good album, but it wasn't the one she would have released if she'd had full control (or even a little more input). But she was also inexperienced in this realm, and the producers were doing what was best for her career. Sakura felt ridiculous after multiple protests to certain changes. After all, these people had worked with hundreds of top artists.

Finishing production relieved some of the pressure of the past few months, a relief that had already begun with the conversation she'd had with Sasuke. Opening up to him, and him opening up in return, released an incredible amount of emotion that had been bottled up within her for so long.

When the album's release day finally arrived, Sasuke and Sakura found themselves in a situation almost identical to when Sasuke's album had come out two months previously. Sakura could feel her stomach clenching and unclenching from the moment she woke up that morning. She'd tossed and turned all night in bed while Sasuke was next to her, fast asleep. He had come back exhausted from a day of rehearsals, and if Sakura hadn't been preoccupied it would've been cute to realize he'd fallen asleep on the couch next to her. Apparently even Sasuke was affected by busy schedules eventually. Sakura was glad her movement hadn't woken him; he'd only heard snippets of the album so far, and she cared about his opinion more than she wanted to.

She was also fairly sure she knew how he would react to several of the songs: not well. Sasuke had a bit of a superiority complex as far as pop was concerned, which was absurd. But some part of her wanted his approval even with that bias.

Sakura was up and out of the apartment early in the morning to do press with various radio stations. Adrenaline was sustaining her, and hearing people's enthusiastic reactions to the album boosted her mood. She _did_ feel good about all of this, that was for sure. Finally she had a full-length, official album to her name. And she was aching to perform her new songs live; they'd been kept in the dark so long.

Orochimaru couldn't have been happier when she joined him in the car to go to the first radio interview. "You're already climbing the charts," he said. "Thousands of downloads within the first few minutes the album was released, and you're at the top of streaming sites." He had a wide smile as opposed to his typical smirk. "This is going to be a great day."

It would at least be a memorable one, Sakura thought. But that was before the endless stream of interviews and general excitement, and she learned that she'd probably remember very little except a stream of flashes and voices.

* * *

As soon as she was back at the apartment for the night, everything seemed to slow down. Sakura unlocked the door, adrenaline still high even after several hours, to find Sasuke in the living room, headphones on and his computer open in front of him. He pulled off his headphones when she came in.

"What are you listening to?" Sakura asked.

"Your stuff," Sasuke said, as if it was obvious.

"Oh God," Sakura said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

"No, like, I don't want to watch your face. Go ahead, it's fine." She waved a hand a little too dramatically and turned away.

"Tch." Sasuke pulled his headphones back on and Sakura went into the kitchen, where she wouldn't be tempted to see his reactions as he listened. _God, you're pathetic_, she told herself. She poked her head through the doorway, banking on the fact that he'd be too absorbed to notice.

Sasuke wasn't just absorbed, his eyes were closed as he nodded along. His fingers twitched, and she knew he was going for imaginary guitar chords. She felt a pleasant flutter in her stomach, and then she couldn't wait any longer.

"So what do you think?" She moved closer to the couch.

Sasuke jumped and then rolled his eyes, clearly embarrassed. "Hn. It's good."

"Yeah?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I want your honest opinion."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "You've got some really good stuff. Quality on most of them sounds better than your EP." He shook his head. "Guitar sounds good_ on the first few, and the acoustic one."_

Sakura started to smile. "Thanks. That means a lot."

Sasuke smirked up at her, then frowned at his screen. "You wrote this one?" He pointed to one of the songs.

Sakura felt slightly embarrassed, and was immediately annoyed with herself for it. "I—No. The producers wanted to include that one."

"Are you serious?" Sasuke looked disgusted.

"I didn't have a choice, they pulled rank with the contract. It still bothers me." It felt good to confess that to him, at least.

"Fucking idiots," Sasuke muttered.

"It's a radio song," Sakura said, feeling weirdly defensive. "That's it."

"You've got plenty of good radio songs already," Sasuke said.

"Look, I didn't want it either."

"I know. Your label's misguided."

"Not necessarily misguided, just controlling," Sakura said with a sigh.

"They should just let you do your own thing," Sasuke said.

"I mean, I'm sure you guys had more producers on your first album," Sakura said. "Come on, you were brand new."

"A few," Sasuke said. "Writing credits were part of our contract, though."

"I wish I'd thought of that," Sakura said.

"It's rare that something like that happens," Sasuke said. "Kakashi trusted us, that's why we got it. And our label's not like yours, we were their first big thing. It was lucky."

"Hm." Sakura sat down on the couch next to him.

There was nothing she could change about her situation now, so she knew she shouldn't think about it too much. Anyway, she'd still come out of this with an album she was proud of, and that was the most important thing. "You feel okay?" Sasuke looked at her intently, and she felt a rush of affection for him.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." She said. "I'm running on pure adrenaline right now, but that's fine." She smiled, and Sasuke looked amused.

There was a ping, and Sasuke glanced at his screen. "Music Weekly review's out."

"You had an alert set up?" Sakura started to smile.

Sasuke shrugged and she thought he might be blushing. "You want to see it?"

"See what?"

"The review."

Sakura jumped up. A Music Weekly review. The thought of it set off a new round of jitters in her stomach. "Yeah. No, not now. Actually…Yeah, no. Wait—"

Sasuke just watched her with raised eyebrows.

Sakura fidgeted. "Ugh. Okay, go to it."

"You're sure?" Sasuke smirked.

"Just give me the computer, asshole," Sakura said, grabbing it from him.

_ALBUM REVIEW: Forward – Sakura Haruno_

_Sakura Haruno's second effort straddles the line between singer-songwriter, pop, and something strangely experimental. Though many would say she did it on looks alone (or possibly her management), there is no chance that Sakura Haruno would have rocketed to the top of the charts the way she did unless she had a little bit of talent. And Sakura Haruno has more than a little talent. She has boatloads of it, and it is evident from every note sung and every string played on her guitar. In 'Forward,' as in her debut EP, those two instruments are front and center, though she showcases both the piano and a more electronic sound, both of which serve her well._

_If there is anything wrong with 'Forward', it's the overproduction. Haruno's producers would do the most by putting her in a room with a few instruments and letting her go to town. Her sound is purest when simple, and from the credits, it's clear she's an admirable songwriter. The attempts to turn her sound into pop are almost criminal, because to simplify Sakura Haruno to three letters is, frankly, insulting. Still, one cannot ignore the genius of pairing Haruno with Konan, whose 'Ballerina' should be an instant hit._

_I amend my previous statement: Haruno's producers would do the most by releasing a live, concert version of this album, which would showcase her real skill. If anyone should be heard live, it's her._

_Standouts: 'Ballerina (feat. Konan)', 'Glass Eyes'_

Sakura read through the words twice disbelievingly. Seeing her name in a Music Weekly review felt surreal, especially one like this. The album had been given a four-star rating.

"Oh my God," Sakura said, mouth open. "I—Wow."

"What did they say?"

She handed the computer back to Sasuke, who read it over. "They're so pretentious," he said, shaking his head.

"Sasuke, this is amazing," Sakura said. She reread the review again, her head spinning. A review like this was more than she could have hoped for. They liked her sound, and more importantly, they knew who she was as an artist. Or at least who she wanted to be. _If anyone should be heard live, it's her. _Sakura bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, too amazed to contain her excitement. "Oh my God, I can't believe this!"

Sasuke shook his head, amused.

"Just put your snobbery on hold for a night," Sakura said. "I can celebrate a review even if it's not perfect, right?"

"Yeah. I wasn't trying to be snobby," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "Just like seeing you like this. Happy."

Sakura started to smile. "Yeah, it's been a while. I mean—" She didn't want to imply that Sasuke didn't make her happy, because nothing could be further from the truth.

"I get it," Sasuke said. It looked like he was close to a smile, too. "Don't have to explain."

* * *

Ino called Sakura later that night, when she was still in the living room and Sasuke was (most likely) fast asleep. "Forehead, the album. Oh my God."

"You like it?"

"Um, _duh_. It's awesome. And you're blowing up everywhere, it's crazy. I'm pretty sure you're the only thing I've talked about all day."

"Oh God." Sakura shook her head. "Sorry."

Ino laughed. "Don't be. This is amazing."

"So how are you? I've been following Karui's social media for a chance of seeing you in a rehearsal or something."

"Yeah, they're keeping everything related to her performances pretty locked down. Which is hard, considering she likes to share everything." Ino snorted. "I'm excited for Ishi next week, that's basically the kickoff for the summer tour."

"Ino, wait—we'll be in the same place at the same time!" Even Firestyle would be at the Ishi Spring Festival; it attracted the biggest names. Sakura was scheduled to headline one of the main stages, while Sasuke and the band would launch the festival on the previous day.

"Shit! You're performing! Oh my God, Forehead, _finally_."

Sakura smiled. "I can't wait to see you onstage."

"You're telling me. Seeing you on the main stage alone is going to be _unreal_." There was a pause. "You're gonna have time to, like, see me, right?"

"Of course," Sakura said. "I don't care how busy my schedule is, I'm spending as much time as possible with you."

"I'll hold you to that," Ino said.

"And you're gonna be backstage for my show," Sakura said.

"Good," Ino said. "Okay, I gotta go, my agent's calling."

"No problem. I'll see you soon!"

"You bet your ass you will."

* * *

**A/N:**_ I'm down to one unfinished story on here, so look forward to more focus and more updates. :) _


	20. Places To Go

Sakura felt a rush of excitement as her bus merged onto the highway leading out of Kumo. She was thrilled to be out of the city and back on the road. Ishi was a full day's drive away, but Sakura didn't mind traveling. Which was definitely a good thing, considering she'd have to get used to life on the tour bus for her summer tour. It was her first real tour, not just a few introductory shows she'd done in various cities the previous year. Now she'd be playing big venues, the largest name on the marquee. The thought was simultaneously amazing and terrifying.

The bus pulled into the back lot of a hotel late that night, and Sakura was shepherded inside by an entourage of people. They would relocate to a trailer on the Ishi concert site the next morning. For now, it was just her and a luxurious suite, with Shizune next door (rooming with Sakura's wardrobe). It felt strange knowing Sasuke was probably at the hotel next door. He'd told her the name, but Sakura hadn't even seen the sign on her own hotel. Paparazzi had apparently been milling around in front of the building.

The weirdest thing was getting in bed alone. Sakura had grown so used to sleeping next to Sasuke, having an entire king bed to herself felt strange. _Wow_, she thought, amused by the feeling. _Times change weirdly fast. _

* * *

She was roused early the next morning by Shizune, who was bustling around setting up a makeshift wardrobe station in the hotel bathroom.

"Rise and shine! It's early and we're on a schedule!" She grinned at Sakura's bemused face.

"What time is it?"

"Six! They wanted to move you over to the trailer early, before the grounds open to the public."

Sakura yawned. She'd slept well, despite the nerves that were already rekindling in her stomach. She wasn't even performing that day, she'd just be biding her time until the performance tomorrow. But Sasuke was performing, and she'd finally see Ino. The thought made her sit up and push the sheets back, already brightening. They were planning to meet that afternoon, after Ino's rehearsal ended and when she could sneak away to Sakura's trailer.

"Looking forward to this weekend?" Shizune asked, raising her eyebrows when she saw Sakura was already getting out of bed.

"Yeah, I am," Sakura said with a smile.

She showered and put on the top and leggings Shizune had laid out on the bed. By then, her entourage had arrived to move over to the festival grounds, an endless stretch of pavement behind a huge outdoor arena and a small amphitheater. Sakura had a trailer to herself, with Shizune next door and Orochimaru nearby along with the other members of her team.

It was a strange day: Sakura had no official obligations until her sound check the next day, so she was being left to herself. She fiddled on her guitar but couldn't concentrate, and ended up on the Internet. It had been a week since the release of her album, and sales were still going strong. The majority of the reviews were positive, and Orochimaru was practically floating around, always smiling in a way that Sakura could only think of as sly. She couldn't help being relieved that he wouldn't be coming to every stop on the summer tour.

* * *

Sakura left her trailer to wait outside as soon as she got Ino's 'on my way' text that afternoon. She was vaguely nervous, only because of how much time had passed.

And then the security guards parted to reveal Ino, who looked around at the buses and trailers. Sakura waved to catch her eye, and Ino immediately started walking toward her.

Sakura ran forward to meet her and threw herself into her best friend's arms. "Oh my God," Ino said, hugging her tightly.

"And to think we said we'd never be the people who hugged each other obnoxiously whenever they saw each other," Sakura said into Ino's hair. She could smell the blonde's customary lavender shampoo, and it flooded her with comfort.

"I have no memory of that," Ino said. "We have to be dramatic now, you're famous."

Sakura snorted and stepped back. "That doesn't change anything."

Ino looked like she wanted to say something else, but she just shook her head. "Anyway, how are you? You know it's been eight _months_, right?"

"I know too well," Sakura said, sighing. "I can't believe you're standing here, honestly. You don't want to know the number of times I wished you were with me, just in my apartment or when I—"

"In your apartment with you and Sasuke? Ew, absolutely not," Ino said. "As attractive as that must be—"

"Okay, shut up."

Ino laughed and took a step back, taking Sakura in. "Shit, you're tiny," she said. "I didn't realize."

"Ino…"

Ino gave her a long look. "While I'm here, you're eating, and if your manager says anything then I'll get all up in his face."

Sakura rolled her eyes but couldn't help laughing. "This feels so surreal. Seriously, I can't believe you're here."

"Yeah, me either. I mean, I can, but still."

"So how's the tour? What's Karui like? Are you on the road all the time or do they give you breaks?"

"Slow down, Mom. I'll catch you up. But I want to hear about all of this first." Ino waved a hand around at the surrounding area and then showed her security clearance badge to Sakura. "This is insane."

"I know," Sakura said. "This is going to be the biggest stage I've ever played on, too."

"Worthy start to your tour, then," Ino said.

"I guess so," Sakura said, grinning. She hadn't been this excited about a performance in a while, considering she'd barely performed at all in the past few months. And now that Ino was here, it felt like this happy bubble would be hard to burst.

"So where's Sasuke?" Ino asked slyly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "He said he would try to come by before their set, but I don't know when their sound check is."

"As long as I meet him eventually. Preferably within the day."

Sakura grinned. "That I can do."

* * *

Sasuke made his way over to Sakura's barricaded section of the trailer area after the band finished their sound check. It was clear that they'd upped her security since the last festival. Sasuke wondered if he had anything to do with that, but pushed the thought from his mind. There was no use going down that hole. He nodded to the closest security guard, who let him in after a quick onceover.

Sakura was standing outside her trailer talking to a girl with a blonde ponytail. She was pretty in a Barbie doll-type way, long hair and leggy and wearing a crop top and tight pants. Honestly, she didn't strike Sasuke as the first person Sakura would be friends with, but this had to be Ino.

"Hey," Sakura said, smiling at Sasuke when he reached them. Then she turned to the blonde. "This is Sasuke," Sakura said. "Sasuke, Ino."

"Nice to meet you," Ino said, smiling. She didn't look particularly self-conscious, even though Sakura had told him she had been a huge fan of the band since high school.

"You too," Sasuke said. Ino was looking at him, one eyebrow raised, and suddenly (and strangely) Sasuke was the one to feel self-conscious.

Ino turned to Sakura. "He's actually hotter in person," she said, and Sakura coughed. Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"I thought you said you'd tone it down," Sakura muttered.

"Tone what down?" Ino said, cocking her head innocently.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "So, any burning questions? Did you bring your poster for Sasuke to sign?"

"Low blow. Which one?"

"I seem to remember a life-size one." Sakura glanced at him, and Sasuke sighed.

"I sold that to a freshman when we were juniors. Sorry, Sasuke." Ino smiled at him, and Sasuke had to admire her total lack of embarrassment. "Got a good price on it, though."

"Of course you did," Sakura said. "Well, thanks for making this meeting about as great as I expected."

"My pleasure," Ino said. "So, are you coming to Karui's show? Are you _allowed_ to?"

"You think I'd miss it? I'll sneak in."

"Good," Ino said. Then she glanced past Sasuke, eyes widening slightly.

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned to follow her gaze and saw Shikamaru approaching them, having slipped through the security barrier.

"We've gotta be on stage in five minutes," Shikamaru said, then took a good look at Ino. His eyebrows went up slightly, and Sasuke smirked.

"Shikamaru, meet my best friend Ino," Sakura said. She glanced at Sasuke, looking amused.

"Hi," Ino said, clearly surprised to be meeting another member of the band. She masked it with a wide smile, however, and Sasuke saw the flirting turn on.

"Hey," Shikamaru said.

"So, should we should leave your boyfriend to it, Forehead?" Ino asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure. I'll meet you later," she said to Sasuke. "We're going to go find a nice spot to watch."

"Sounds good," he said. He'd reserved VIP spots for them, not that Sakura would need proof if she just showed her face.

The two girls turned and started walking back to Sakura's trailer.

* * *

"Damn," Shikamaru said.

"Thought you said we had to be onstage in five minutes," Sasuke said, smirking.

"Yeah, we do," Shikamaru shook his head and the two of them headed back towards their own area. "You think she's single?" he muttered.

Sasuke shrugged.

"I thought I knew an interested girl when I saw one," Shikamaru said, sighing.

"Of course she's interested. Look around," Sasuke said, then regretted it. Ino was Sakura's best friend, after all. Fame wouldn't be a motivator.

Shikamaru gave him a look that Sasuke knew meant he was thinking exactly the same thing.

* * *

"I'm surprised, I thought you'd want to talk to Shikamaru," Sakura said once they were out of earshot of Sasuke and Shikamaru.

"Oh, he'll come back later with Sasuke," Ino said confidently.

"You realize who you're talking about, right?" Sakura said. "He's not nearly as easy to bewitch as other guys. He's seen all the tactics."

Ino waved a hand. "I know an interested guy when I see one."

Sakura shook her head. "Let's go."

They headed to the stage through a back route and passed through the security barrier easily enough to a spot backstage reserved for guests.

"This is crazy," Ino said, looking around at the exposed sound equipment. "Could you do this even if you weren't with Sasuke?"

"Probably," Sakura said, thinking. It startled her to realize that at this point she could request VIP tickets for whatever show she wanted. She wondered what Sasuke's reaction would be to her now if they hadn't met that day in Iwa. Had _he_ changed at all in the past few months?

Her gut said yes, even if it didn't seem likely.

The crowd was deafening and the show hadn't even started. Sakura's stomach swooped thinking about how this would be her tomorrow. Part of her was nervous, but she also couldn't wait to be out there.

The band came up through the floor to thunderous noise from the crowd and a cloud of fog.

"This never gets old," Ino said, grinning.

Sakura laughed as the band launched into the opening chords of their latest single. From this vantage point it was impossible to see Sasuke's face, but she knew he was enjoying it. He hated performing once they played their material into the ground, but this was the first time playing anything live from the latest album.

And it sounded amazing, of course. Ino was watching with her mouth open, even with the distorted sound from their less impressive angle backstage. The screams from the crowd didn't waver for the thirty minutes they were onstage.

"They've still got it after five years," Ino said, shaking her head. "Pretty impressive."

"Yeah," Sakura said. The way the music industry moved, it _was_ impressive.

"I wanna be out there in the crowd," Ino said, bouncing up and down on her feet. "The adrenaline's kicking in."

"About time," Sakura said. "That's all I've been running on for the past day." They were practically yelling.

Ino checked her phone. "Shit! I have to go, emergency rehearsal. Damn it damn it damn it."

"Go, go," Sakura said. "I don't want you to be late."

Ino hesitated, clearly loathe to leave.

"We'll meet up with them later," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry."

"I'll see you later, then. I'll be looking for you in the crowd if I'm not in the zone."

"Hopefully you won't see me, otherwise other people will," Sakura said. "Good luck!"

"Thanks, Forehead." Ino dashed away, pushing confidently past the security barrier.

* * *

Two hours later, Sakura found herself back at the stage where Firestyle had just performed, this time part of the queue streaming into one of the higher sections. This was possibly the most daring thing she'd done in a while; she hadn't told Orochimaru, otherwise she wouldn't have been allowed to do this. A good percentage of her fan base likely overlapped with Karui's, so Sakura had decided on the least desirable section of seats as her safest bet. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, along with a brunette wig supplied by Shizune under a baseball cap.

"You're still gonna get recognized," Sasuke had said skeptically when she came out of her trailer. "Might regret doing this."

"Shut up, you," Sakura said. "I'm not going to regret anything, I'm watching my best friend perform in Ishi, the way it's supposed to be seen."

Sasuke didn't have an argument for that. He was staring at her, head cocked slightly.

"What?"

"The brown hair. Looks…Different."

Sakura laughed. "I can imagine. It's not even necessary, I think I'm overestimating how many people would recognize me."

Sasuke snorted but didn't say anything.

"Alright, I'm gonna go," Sakura said. "You're coming, right?"

"Aa." Sasuke was going to watch from the VIP area backstage. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it (honestly, Karui had always annoyed the hell out of him), but he'd agreed to go when Sakura insisted the previous day. It wasn't like Karui would mind if he showed up.

Shikamaru caught up with him just as Sasuke was leaving the trailer post-show. "Mind if I tag along?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"Don't say it," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just intrigued."

"By Karui?" Sasuke smirked.

"Shut up."

"How'd you even know about Ino being part of her show?"

"Sakura mentioned it a while back. You were there."

Sasuke was slightly ashamed at that, but even more ashamed half an hour later, watching Karui's set. Ino was a really good dancer. And he'd been skeptical, which he would admit to no one because of how obnoxious it was. Internally he'd been a total asshole, actually. Scoring a job of this caliber, barely out of high school, meant you had serious talent. He'd been quick to judge because of the blonde hair.

He and Sakura had promised to be honest with each other, but it was one honest thought that Sasuke didn't even want to acknowledge with himself.

"Damn," Shikamaru muttered again. His eyes were locked on Ino, which was an achievement considering Karui's antics and the sparkling silver cape she was wearing, which looked like it was miles long. At least until she inevitably ripped it off to reveal what Sasuke guessed would be a chest-baring, shiny leotard of some sort. Some things never changed.

"Let's get out before she comes off," Sasuke said.

"What, you think Karui's gonna make another pass at you?" Shikamaru snorted. "You flatter yourself too much."

"She's gonna ask why we're back here," Sasuke said.

"She's too self-absorbed, she won't care."

Sasuke glared at him, and Shikamaru relented. "Fine," he said, rolling his eyes. "We'll go after the next song."

"You'll see her later, anyway," Sasuke muttered. "Thought you'd be able to wait at least a few hours."

"I gave you no shit whatsoever the day after you couldn't resist hooking up with Sakura," Shikamaru said. "You want me to dig back into that? You were such an asshole at her show because you found her repulsive or whatever. And then you go and realize, wait—"

"I get it."

Shikamaru smirked. "No comments about this, then."

Sasuke nodded and turned back to Karui's performance. He'd never been able to stomach her music, but even he had to admit she was a good performer.

* * *

"Ino, that was awesome!" Sakura threw herself into her friend's arms for the second time that day an hour after Karui's performance ended, when Ino came back to her trailer. "I could've watched it for ages."

Ino smiled ruefully. "Good thing you didn't see how sweat-soaked my clothes are at the end of that routine."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "It looked amazing."

"It felt good," Ino said, a real smile taking over her face. "And it went pretty well, we only had a few slip-ups."

"Well, none of them were visible. Was Karui singing live?"

Ino nodded. "She thinks she'll 'break her voice' over the summer if she keeps up like this. Whatever that means."

Sakura laughed.

"So what does your schedule look like tomorrow?" Ino asked.

"Rehearsals and prep all day," Sakura said.

"Jesus," Ino said. "I guess that makes sense." Again, Sakura was reminded of how much had changed since they'd last seen each other.

"We should go out afterward, though," Sakura said. "I'll be free after my set, and you never got to meet Naruto and Kiba."

"You'd introduce me?" A flash of surprise had crossed Ino's face, almost impossible to detect.

"Um, yeah. Of course," Sakura said. "Who do you think I am?"

"God, sorry, Forehead. I think I just forgot—"

"My celebrity boyfriend?" Sakura smiled almost sadly.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Your celebrity influence."

"You're the first, then."

"Sakura…"

"That made me sound really bitter, shit. I didn't mean—"

"Look, you don't have to explain yourself. Let's have a heart to heart at some point, be good to get all those feelings out."

"That sounds like the best idea you've ever had."

"I hope not, because that'd be really lame."

* * *

The two of them reunited briefly before Sakura's performance the next day, but Sakura had to leave Ino to go to the venue for her sound check. Sasuke had joined them as well, looking more than conspicuous in sunglasses.

"I feel bad leaving you," Sakura said. She adjusted her sparkly crop top.

"Don't worry about it, Forehead," Ino said. "I've got my fancy VIP ticket."

"Just go with Sasuke, you'll get through the security barrier easier," Sakura said.

"Awesome," Ino said. "Assuming Sasuke doesn't mind babysitting me?" She grinned.

"Tch." Ino assumed Sasuke was rolling his eyes. The two of them were probably the king and queen of eye-rolling.

"It's time, Sakura," her manager said, appearing in the doorway of Sakura's trailer. He struck Ino as a slimeball, and she was tempted to ask him when he'd last washed his hair.

"Alright, I'll see both of you after," Sakura said.

"You're gonna do amazing," Ino said, and Sakura grinned.

Sasuke intercepted her before she left and she gave him a quick kiss. He muttered something that Ino couldn't hear, and Sakura smiled slightly. Then she was out the door with a quick squeeze of Sasuke's hand.

Ino and Sasuke walked over the venue together using the path meant for performers, but neither of them attempted to make conversation. It had been easy to talk to him with Sakura there, but when it was just the two of them, Ino wasn't sure what to say. He was an intense presence, and she didn't find many people intense. Just getting over the fact that this was _Sasuke Uchiha_ was taking more effort than Ino would ever admit. He was her best friend's boyfriend, after all.

_Come on, Ino_, she told herself, exasperated. "So does it feel like déjà vu going to watch Sakura at a place like this? I heard about how you guys met."

Sasuke had taken off his sunglasses, and he glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. Was it just her, or was he blushing slightly? _Oh, I _have_ to ask Sakura about this. _"Circumstances were pretty different," he muttered.

"I can imagine," Ino said, grinning. "She said you couldn't stand her."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a second. "Of course you want to talk about this."

"I'm her best friend, so yeah, duh. Also I'm vetting you. No pressure."

Sasuke shook his head. "Everything's changed since then."

"That's pretty obvious," Ino said. "Which is a good thing, otherwise we'd be having a _very_ different conversation right. I'd have a knife, for one." She smiled dangerously at him.

"Jesus." Sasuke raised his eyebrows but didn't look particularly perturbed.

"I told Sakura I wouldn't say that to you, but I couldn't resist," Ino said.

The faintest smile appeared on Sasuke's face. _Success! _

"I also told her I wouldn't share any embarrassing teenage stories, and I'm going to respect that promise."

"That's fine," Sasuke muttered. "Don't want to know."

"No, you don't." They reached the venue, and Ino felt slightly more confident. _At least he speaks_, she thought, amused. Getting to know him so late into Sakura's relationship was going to be a challenge, but Ino was determined to succeed. Even if Sasuke Uchiha was the least talkative, most brooding guy Ino had ever met. As of now, that was unclear.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Wow, okay. It's been a really stressful few weeks. I'm really sick of saying 'sorry I haven't updated in a while' because I'm pretty sure I say it every time I update. At this point I should just keep announcing hiatuses or something, but I'm not going to bother. I want to get this finished, because the fact that it's still not done is always nagging me. I just haven't been feeling fanfiction recently (ie the past year?), and I've had terrible writer's block in general, which is really unnerving for someone who used to write all the time. I'm trying to sort through it, along with the weird existential crisis thing I've been having recently. In the meantime, I'm gonna try to eke this story out bit by bit. Ino's POV is always a mood booster, so hopefully you enjoyed this. _

_Anyway, reviews would be nice. Thanks. _


	21. That Girl

"Come on, we'll be late. I told them nine thirty," Sakura said, tapping her fingers impatiently.

"I'm done, I'm done!" Ino checked her makeup one last time in Sakura's mirror. "Damn I look good." She had pulled out all the stops, and Sakura didn't blame her. It wasn't every day you met your celebrity crushes (even if you'd long since gotten over them). Ino was wearing a tiny black dress, her hair loose and wavy.

"Yeah, you do." Sakura had gone for something slightly less provocative: a t-shirt.

"Aw, thanks. So do you."

Sakura shook her head, grinned, and checked her phone. "We're going to meet them at the bar. Less conspicuous that way." The two of them were meeting Sasuke and the rest of the band at a bar in downtown Ishi. Naruto had recommended it, and everyone else trusted that they wouldn't be recognized there.

"So this is your life now," Ino said as the two of them quickly ducked into the cab that Shizune had called for them.

"It's not that glamorous," Sakura said. "Mainly it's me going to meetings and the studio and then collapsing into bed whenever I can."

"I mean the secretive part. I can go out and public and no one will recognize me. As much as I like people staring, paparazzi are hellish."

"Yeah. That's for sure."

They arrived at the bar fifteen minutes later, and the entrance was peacefully empty of paparazzi. Ino took the lead, pushing the door open confidently.

The band had claimed a table in a back corner, and Sakura realized she hadn't talked to Naruto or Kiba in at least three weeks. Naruto, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"There you are," Kiba said, standing up. "Sasuke was getting worried." He grinned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Sakura smiled. "Well, we should do formal introductions. Everyone, this is my friend Ino. Ino, this is…Everyone except Naruto."

"He's outside with his girlfriend," Kiba said, rolling his eyes. "Good to meet you, though. You're on Karui's tour, right?"

"Yep," Ino said. "It's great to meet you."

"Good luck working with her," Kiba said. "She's a character."

"Trust me, I know," Ino said. "I'm sure you're more intimately familiar with her, though. At least from what I've heard." She smiled.

Kiba raised his eyebrows but bit his lip, eyeing Ino with an amused look. "Can't trust everything you hear."

"Let's not revisit that whole thing," Shikamaru said. He looked vaguely irritated, and Sakura held back a smile. His eyes hadn't left Ino.

"Probably not a good idea. Anyway, great show today, Sakura," Kiba said. "They streamed it online so we watched from the bus."

"Thanks! I think it went well." It had been thrilling to see the crowd's reaction to her new songs; Sakura was pretty sure she was still on a high from the performance.

"No surprise there," Kiba said.

Sasuke had moved away from the table so he was standing next to Sakura. "You want to get a drink?" he asked her.

"Yeah. Just one, though," Sakura said. Their first (and only) experience in a club was vivid in her mind considering the similarity of the current setting. It was less tame for sure, with no dance floor and pulsing trap music in the background, but the neon lights made it feel like déjà vu.

"Can I buy you something?" Shikamaru asked Ino.

"Oh, sure," Ino said with a smile. "I wouldn't say no to that."

The four of them walked over to the bar, but in a flash Ino had paired up with Shikamaru and the two of them split off from Sakura and Sasuke to grab two empty seats.

"He's got a thing for blondes," Sasuke said.

"And she's got a thing for ponytails," Sakura said with a slight smile.

"She knows what she's getting into, doesn't she?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry. If anything, it's Shikamaru who doesn't know what he's getting into." Sakura sighed. "She can be a bit too hot to handle. In both a literal and figurative sense, probably."

"Tch."

"Sakura!" She recognized Naruto's voice and whirled around to find him right behind her, holding hands with a dark-haired girl.

"Quiet, dobe," Sasuke muttered.

"Aw come on, teme, no one's listening. Sorry we missed seeing you guys come in! Is your friend here?"

"Yeah, she's with Shikamaru." Sakura indicated where they were sitting.

"Cool, I'll go introduce myself! Wait—" Naruto looked between her and the girl next to him. "You haven't met Hinata! I can't believe I didn't do that first!"

"Naruto, it's no big deal," Hinata said quietly.

"Yeah, of course it is! Sakura, this is Hinata my girlfriend. Hinata, this is Sakura Haruno."

"It's really nice to meet you, Sakura," Hinata said. She was pretty, with large pale eyes and long black hair.

"You too! Naruto talks a lot about you, it's great to finally see you in person."

"He does?" Hinata raised her eyebrows and glanced at Naruto.

"'Course I do. What else am I gonna do when you're off working!" Naruto grinned and Hinata shook her head with a slight smile.

"So you're a sound tech?" Sakura asked, genuinely curious.

"Yeah. I work on tour circuits usually," Hinata said, sounding self-conscious. "It's a lot of traveling, but I like it."

"She's going to be on our staff for the summer tour." Naruto said, putting his arm around Hinata.

"_Hopefully_," Hinata said, squeezing his hand. "I still have to work out the details."

Naruto waved a hand. "It'll work out." He glanced over to the corner. "We're gonna go sit down. Wanna buy me a beer, teme?"

"No."

"Aw, well." Naruto grinned and then led the way over to Shikamaru and Ino. Sakura watched her best friend's eyes widen at the sight of Naruto, but then she was laughing and rolling her eyes at something he said. Sakura turned back to the bar, satisfied.

"Hinata seems really nice," Sakura said.

"Hn. Yeah," Sasuke said grudgingly. "They're both _too_ nice."

Sakura shook her head, exasperated. "So, do you want to buy _me_ a drink?"

"Thought you liked paying for yourself."

"I've got nothing to prove this time," Sakura said, shrugging.

"Pretty sure you said something like that last time."

"I'm surprised you even remember that, I think we were both pretty drunk at that point. Anyway, I'll return the favor if you're in the mood for a second one."

"Deal," Sasuke said with a smirk. He ordered them two shots, and they both drank at the same time.

"Whew. That's enough for me," Sakura said. "We should probably avoid a repeat performance."

"On a dance floor at least," Sasuke said.

Sakura supposed it was good they could talk about Iwa, considering they'd had an unspoken agreement to never bring it up. She glanced over to check on Ino and Shikamaru, but their stools were empty. _Oh, boy. _She scanned the room for blonde hair and saw them sitting at a corner table, Ino nearly up against him. Sakura gave it five minutes before they'd be all over each other.

"It's getting crowded over here." Sakura hopped off the bar stool and Sasuke followed her automatically. They made their way to the back of the room again to a free space of the wall near the table Kiba had claimed.

Sakura slid her fingers through the belt loops on Sasuke's jeans and pulled him closer. He felt a burst of heat near his navel and held her waist. "We're not doing this again," he muttered.

"I know," Sakura said. She tightened her hold on his hips, and he leaned toward her…

And then suddenly Sasuke jumped and broke apart from Sakura, glaring to his left. Kiba was standing there, and had clearly just poked him. "Someone tweeted that they saw us. Gonna make a quick getaway before the paps get here."

"Damn it," Sasuke said. He and Sakura both looked over to Ino and Shikamaru in the corner. "I'll get them."

"C'mon, Sak," Kiba said. "The cameras are gonna come out any sec."

Sakura nodded and followed him out the back entrance, where Naruto and Hinata were waiting with a security guard. It was mercifully empty of anyone; she had expected a horde of screaming fans.

"I just called a cab," Naruto said. "Where's everyone else?"

"Here." Sasuke had appeared, Shikamaru and Ino right behind him. The cab pulled up to the curb as the door closed behind them.

* * *

Ultimately they decided to go back to the rooftop lounge at the hotel where the boys were staying before leaving early the next morning. Ino was pressed up against Shikamaru in the cab, and couldn't help being happy with that arrangement. There had been a moment of awkwardness when the seven of them realized they would fill up the entire car. "Dibs on the front," Kiba had said after taking one look at the three obvious pairs.

The rest of them stood around awkwardly for a minute before Sakura took the organizational role. "How about Ino and I get in the way back. Shikamaru, maybe you can take the right side? Then Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata can sit in the middle." She climbed in first without a second thought, glancing back at Ino, who gave her an appreciative grin. Sakura's matchmaking skills were subtle but effective (well, hopefully).

A slightly disgruntled Sasuke climbed in next to Naruto, who was spread out over the middle seat. He glanced backward, and Ino didn't miss the look between him and Sakura.

Ino consciously felt the contact of Shikamaru's arm. She had butterflies, of all things. _A guy hasn't given me butterflies since…when? Sai in freshman year? _She smiled to herself. They hadn't gotten around to much at the bar, but judging from the way Shikamaru had looked at her at that table, they were both interested in doing a little bit more.

That's all she was asking for, really. Half an hour with Shikamaru Nara might just satisfy the sexual tension she was feeling right now. Not to mention it would be a great story for her grandchildren. This night was shaping up to be better than any past fantasies.

The hotel lounge was a combination restaurant-nightclub, but luckily the hotel had signed a confidentiality agreement with the band's management. There were no cameras lurking in corners, and the seven of them claimed a secluded corner of the dark room.

Ino took a seat on a leather couch and Shikamaru and Kiba sat down to her right and left. Her teenage self practically fainted at the thought of being sandwiched between two members of Firestyle, but her slightly older, more mature self didn't react.

* * *

"Well this took an anticlimactic turn," Sakura said, but she was perfectly happy to curl up on a chair next to Sasuke. "This place is quieter than I expected." There were only about twenty other people in the room. They ordered drinks from a waiter who either didn't recognize them or was determined to play it cool.

"Yeah, I was promised something exciting," Ino said. Kiba laughed.

"Aw, sorry, Ino," Naruto said. "And I was just gonna say that Hinata and I were going to bed, that makes it even more boring."

"Seriously?" Kiba raised an eyebrow.

"I have to work early in the morning," Hinata said, blushing. Clearly she wasn't nearly as comfortable as Sakura around the rest of the band, and Ino didn't blame her. It was a lot of star power in one room.

"Kiba tends to forget the way the stage crew lives," Shikamaru said dryly.

Kiba rolled his eyes.

Naruto stood up. "Well, we're gonna go watch a movie and probably fall asleep. It was great meeting you, Ino!" He hugged Ino, who was surprised by the gesture. "Sakura, I'll see you soon!" He grabbed Hinata's hand, and with a laugh she led the way out of the room. Sakura waved.

"They're like an old couple," Kiba said once Naruto and Hinata had left.

"I think it's nice," Sakura said, and Ino saw Sasuke smirk.

"So how's the view from the roof? You must be able to see the whole city," Ino said, glancing at Shikamaru.

"It's decent," Kiba said. "I was up there last night, we're in the penthouse."

"I think I'll check it out," Ino said, standing up. Sakura watched Shikamaru, who sat up more when Ino moved.

"You want to go too?" Sasuke asked her.

"I'm good here," Sakura said lightly. She was tucked into the crook of Sasuke's arm, the two of them sharing a chair.

"I'll go out with you. It's stuffy in here," Shikamaru said. He followed Ino outside, and there was a decisive click as the door shut behind them.

"Are we gonna talk about that, or no?" Kiba said immediately.

"They're just enjoying the view," Sakura said, unable to hide a smile.

Kiba snorted. "God, I really am the odd one out. Should've brought home the girl I was talking to at the bar."

Sasuke snorted at that.

Ino and Shikamaru came back in about twenty minutes later, Ino's hair distinctly more ruffled. "What time is it?" Ino asked.

"Almost one," Sakura said. She yawned. "Do you want to head back?"

"Sounds like a plan. I have to be up early too," Ino said.

"Hey, it us up if we're ever in the area as Karui. Any friend of Sakura's is a friend of ours," Kiba said. Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"I'll try. I'm pretty busy nowadays." Ino grinned. "Thanks guys, it was nice meeting all of you."

Sasuke followed them to the door. "I'll walk you down," he said to Sakura, who rolled her eyes but nodded before leading the way out of the lounge.

* * *

The two of them started walking down the hallway, their backs to Ino. Sakura laced her hand in Sasuke's and it looked so natural. Ino envied their relationship, which seemed so close and, well, understanding. And it had happened without her there at all to see it, which was the strangest thing of all. Sakura said something to him and Ino saw Sasuke smirk. He loved her, that was for sure.

It felt strange to have missed something so big in Sakura's life. Ino was used to knowing every detail, every development in a relationship. Sakura had recapped their first meeting, but after that it was large blank periods, interspersed with quick updates and more than a little doubt on Ino's end (she felt guilty about that now).

Sakura was also more comfortable around Sasuke than Ino (strangely) could've ever expected. Something about him was intimidating, but clearly Sakura didn't feel that at all. Ino knew she masked uncomfortable feelings well, but being around him and Sakura felt weird, like she was intruding. She put it down to being away from her best friend for so long.

They also made an incredibly attractive couple, which Ino had known all too well, but seeing them in person was something else.

"No wonder the media's going crazy over you two," she said to Sakura later that night when they were in her hotel room together. It was past two in the morning, and they had changed into t-shirts and collapsed onto the plush couch.

Sakura scoffed. "I'm serious," Ino said.

"Yeah…" Sakura traced a line on the plush couch.

"I feel like your life is out of my depth now," Ino said. The high of the night was starting to wear off.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. I don't know, like, what we should be talking about."

"Ino, you're the one person I've been banking on to finally treat me like I'm normal," Sakura said. "I want to talk about the normal things. Frustrations, fun stuff, boys, I don't know. Tell me about the tour, you know I want to hear everything. How many dancers does Karui have?"

"Six. Four guys, two girls. We were all out there yesterday."

"Do you guys hang out a lot?"

"We kind of have to," Ino said. "But everyone's cool, for the most part." She rolled her eyes. "By the end of the summer we'll all know way too much about each other, that's for sure. Karui likes bonding activities, she thinks we're her squad. She's more dramatic than _I_ am, Forehead. I never thought I'd say that about _anyone_." Sakura laughed and Ino shook her head. "You should hear her sometimes."

"Is she still dating—"

"Omoi, the rapper? Who knows." Ino flicked her hand dramatically. "They break up every other week because she's always paranoid he's cheating on her. That doesn't leave this room, mind you, it was told to me in confidence." Ino stared at her and Sakura snorted. "He always comes back, I don't know how she doesn't get it. Or how he puts up with her yelling."

"Love's weird," Sakura said.

"I guess you'd know. You're experienced now. The whole celebrity dating world's a strange place."

"Wow."

"Okay, that came out _way_ bitchier than intended."

"You think?"

"Sorry, Forehead. Seriously. I know you and Sasuke are real. It's—I mean, I see it."

Sakura waved a hand. "It's fine."

After a second, Ino turned to her. "You know what's funny? Like, yeah, Shikamaru's totally my type, but he was never the one I was interested in. It was always Sasuke and Kiba, I thought they were so fucking hot."

Sakura laughed. "Well…"

"And I mean, they are, it's just…Weird that suddenly Shikamaru's the only one I'm really attracted to. Not that this is gonna go farther than just tonight, obviously. But why didn't I notice him in high school?"

"You were too busy watching Kiba rip his shirt off," Sakura said, and Ino snorted.

"You're sure he doesn't have, like, a secret family, right? Or a high school sweetheart who he's been married to for five years?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Shikamaru's the most responsible—well, most level-headed one in the band. So I doubt it."

"You mean _Sasuke _isn't the most level-headed one?"

"Not always."

"Oh _really_?" Ino was grinning.

Sakura poked her. "Shut up."

"I don't think I said anything bad."

"I know exactly what you were thinking, though. Completely unnecessary."

Ino sighed and leaned back on the couch. "This is what I miss. Like, so much has happened in your life, and I wasn't there for it. We only say the necessary stuff when we talk on the phone."

"I know," Sakura said. "God, I wish you were there for it. And I wish I was there for you. Your career completely took off while I was off in Kumo."

Ino shrugged. "It's not like there's anything to do about it now."

"We both could've used each other," Sakura said. "Being away from everyone was the one thing I didn't really think about when I started all of this."

Ino extended her leg to stretch. "Along with the possibility that you were gonna fall in love."

Sakura shrugged. "Yeah, well…"

"I'm _almost_ disgusted by you two. Almost."

Sakura just rolled her eyes. "I don't deserve that. We're not that touchy."

"You guys literally eye-fuck each other all the time."

"_Ino_."

"Just giving you the truth, here." Ino paused. "But in all seriousness, I like it. I'm giving you two my blessing, which I reserve the right to retract if Sasuke does something particularly douchey."

"Thanks," Sakura said. "Aside from that second part, I'm glad you're satisfied. I was worried you'd still doubt him as a person."

"That's kinda impossible when I see you two together," Ino admitted.

Sakura blushed but nodded. "To be honest, I don't know what the past few months would've been like if I didn't have Sasuke. It's just—It's been hard."

"No shit," Ino said. "But you found someone else to help you through it." She must've sounded bitter, because Sakura's eyes widened.

"He'll never be your replacement, Ino. No one could fill that void. You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that. I'm irreplaceable." At Sakura's exasperated look, Ino sighed. "Thanks for saying that. But I know you. Probably better than you know yourself. It's just been…Weird? Different? But that's life."

Sakura nodded. "Well, we've got time right now. And from now on, I'm making time to go home, and to see you, even if you're on tour in some random obscure place."

"You can wear your ridiculous brown wig."

"You _did_ see me!"

"I was told exactly where to look," Ino said. "I totally knew it was you, though."

"I'd hope so. You know me better than I know myself, don't you?" Sakura was grinning.

"Ha."

Neither of them said anything for a minute. "Any interesting things you've saved to tell me now?" Ino asked Sakura. "Because otherwise I'll move onto the last question on the list."

"I can't think of anything, honestly. Ask me about whatever, though."

"Good. So, how much sex are you having?"

"Um…"

"You're blushing so hard, Forehead, oh my God."

"_You'd_ be blushing if I asked you that, it's a ridiculous question."

"Are you kidding me? I'd be totally straight-faced. 'I bang Sasuke Uchiha every night.' No shame."

Sakura snorted, and then collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"Multiple times a night," Ino said, and then couldn't keep a poker face any longer, rolling forward onto the carpet with a giggle.

"I'm not _that_ horny," Sakura said after a minute, gulping for air through her laughter. "_Really_, Ino? Sleep is underrated, honestly."

"Not in Sasuke's bed it's not."

Sakura slapped her on the arm. "I swear to God—"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Ino said, hiccuping. "I'm _crying_, Jesus."

"I think we both need to sleep," Sakura said, still laughing, and Ino nodded in agreement.

They shared the bed, and for a few hours it really did feel like old times.

* * *

**A/N:** _Two updates in a month=not bad._

_Leave me a review? Thanks in advance. _


	22. Lights

Sakura was caught in another whirlwind of press before her tour began, but Sasuke thought she seemed better this time around. Seeing Ino had clearly helped, and Sasuke was reminded once again of how little he knew about Sakura in some ways. Even though she'd become one of the most important people in his life, he'd known her less than a year.

Information passed between her and Ino like lightning. They clearly knew each other inside and out, to the point of anticipating what the other one would say in conversation. Sasuke hadn't seen Sakura nearly so comfortable with anyone else. With Ino her dry, sarcastic side was on full display, and that was often lacking from her public persona. Even with him she was different, for that matter. Not matter how close they were, time wasn't an advantage they possessed. And starting that day, they wouldn't see each other for a while.

They said goodbye early in the morning. Sakura's team was getting an early start to get to the location of her opening show, and Sasuke woke up with her.

"I'm sure this month will fly by," Sakura said, looking unconvinced.

Sasuke shrugged and nodded. The next time they saw each other would be at the end of June, when they would be at the same festival again. He tried not to think about how long this month would feel. "Enjoy it, I guess?"

"I'll try," she said, grinning. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I love you."

Sasuke leaned forward so their lips would collide. Sakura let out an amused exhale. He kissed her deeply but briefly, because footsteps were coming upstairs. Then a few people burst through the door. "Alright, let's get this show on the road!"

"I'll call you later," Sakura promised. Sasuke nodded. And then she was out the door.

* * *

Sakura's nerves were rocketing up and down. She could hear the crowd outside, and knew from her sound check how absurdly large the venue seemed. Even if it wasn't the biggest stadium, the endless rows of seats were enough to strike her dumb the minute she'd come out onstage for her sound check.

Her forehead was already wet with sweat, and Shizune darted in to dab it with a cloth. "You're gonna be great," she said, and all Sakura could do was say thanks. Her throat felt tight in a way that it hadn't since her first few performances, open mic nights back in freshman year of high school. Sakura swallowed a few sips of water and thanked Shizune again. She pulled down the hem of her tight silver skirt reflexively; it would've helped to have her guitar to fiddle with, but it wasn't going to come out until several songs into the show. Shizune backed off, probably to give her space. Sakura knew she was inside her own head way too deeply right now.

She paced back and forward, trying to breathe deeply. It was times like this when she really, really wished Ino were here to calm her down. Or Sasuke, she realized. Just having his presence there would immediately make her feel better. No doubt he'd say something about how she could do this in her sleep. And she could; she knew her music and the choreography cold. But this performance meant she was officially stepping up to the next level.

_You're at home on a stage_, she heard Sasuke say. He'd muttered it as she was leaving, when they'd embraced tightly before she got on her bus. _It'll go well. _Clearly he'd known how much she was anticipating this tour.

Years of hope had led up to this moment. Hope, and intense work, and determination, and luck. And now that she was here, Sakura couldn't quite wrap her head around it. She was sure her entire body was shaking with adrenaline.

"Standby. Fifteen seconds," a sound tech said. Orochimaru gave her a thumbs up, and Sakura nodded. The huge screen onstage was counting down from ten, just as practiced. The audience was screaming along, and suddenly Sakura felt a rush of positive energy. They'd all come here to see her, and damn it if she wasn't going to give them the same experience that she'd given to people at all the more intimate venues. She tapped her foot in time to the beat pulsing over the speakers. Three…Two…One…Sakura took one final breath, and walked out onstage.

The flashing lights were blinding, but her smile didn't falter. If she didn't know she had to sing, the sheer amount of people waiting for her would've struck her dumb. The crowd was deafening. With the first chord of her opening song, they picked her up higher than Sakura knew was possible.

"Thank you all for coming!" she said at the end of her first song, and there were huge cheers in response. "This is an awesome place to start my tour." She had a script to stick to, but she figured she could modify it just a little bit. "I'm not going to lie, this is the biggest audience I've ever played for."

There were more cheers. "I LOVE YOU SAKURA!" someone screamed, and the crowd clapped.

She laughed and then heard the first cues for her next song in her earpiece. She launched into it without any introduction, and immediately people began to sing along. By the time a few slower songs rolled around, she was close to tears just because of the emotion in the room. It was leaking from the crowd, and she felt completely overwhelmed.

The next hour and a half felt like it lasted both a minute and an entire day. After the comedown Sakura realized she felt naked without her guitar or a piano, but the energy just about made up for it. She felt like she was at the center of an orbiting solar system. People were singing her lyrics back to her with just as much passion as she'd had writing them. This was what she'd wanted for years, and there was nothing like it.

* * *

Three days later, Sasuke was immersed in tour preparation of his own. The band opened in Kusa in a week, and total strangers were running in and out of their apartment what seemed like every minute with last minute clothing choices and instrument recommendations. This was what it was like to be Sakura 24/7. It was only around tour time that they got a taste of the double standard, and this year wasn't nearly as bad as it had been in years past. The four of them could be trusted to keep up their typical image, so they needed minimal guidance.

Still, Sasuke would've holed up in his and Sakura's apartment if he could to get away from the bustle. But even he knew he owed a duty to his bandmates to be around in the heat of prep. It was also depressing to be there alone. Already he felt Sakura's absence. He'd watched illegal videos of her opening concert that had been posted online; it was probably ironic that the only way even _he_ could see it was with glitchy audio and crappy resolution. Still, she'd sounded good, even though they had upped the pop-ness of the whole thing.

The only text she'd sent him afterward was a series of exclamation points, which he'd taken as a sign that she'd had a good time. Sasuke wondered if she kept the excitement to a minimum because she knew he'd roll his eyes. The thought made him feel slightly guilty, but he also knew Sakura wouldn't act according to any preference of Sasuke's. He didn't call her later that night, only because she was probably fast asleep. Tours took a serious toll on you physically, even if they boosted your mental energy.

Sasuke would have a new guitar for this tour, which he'd picked out a month or two previously. He tended to separate tour guitars from personal guitars, only because on tour instruments were liable to get worn down and beat-up because of constant travel. Especially if they belonged to Kiba, who had a tendency to smash basses to get the audience riled up. They were crappy ones made for that purpose, but still…sometimes it seemed like sacrilege, even if it came with rock band territory.

"Teme! We gotta be on the bus in twenty minutes! Are you packed?"

Sasuke jumped at Naruto's voice. He'd zoned out completely. "Yeah, I'm packed, dobe. Are you?"

"Just about!"

Sasuke shouldered his duffel bag. Most of his clothes were stowed away in the tour trunks, which traveled separately. He didn't really need much else. Shikamaru and Kiba were surrounded by people by the door of the apartment. A limo would take them to the random parking lot where their bus was waiting. Sasuke joined them reluctantly. "You look tired," Kiba remarked.

"Hn." Sasuke shrugged. "Didn't sleep much last night. Too much noise." That wasn't true, and Shikamaru's smirk said that Sasuke wasn't fooling anyone.

"Alright, let's get a move on." Kakashi was checking his phone.

"You're actually making sure we're on time?" Naruto appeared, incredulous.

"Technically you were supposed to leave half an hour ago," Kakashi looked like he couldn't care less. The rush of wardrobe and tech people streamed out the door first. "I'll meet you all in Kusa."

* * *

The bus was brand new and extremely nice. Laughably nice, compared to their first tour bus. No matter how big a hit your first album was, management cut corners wherever possible to save money on tours. The bunks had been about two feet wide and four feet long, and all the furniture had been worn to nothing. None of them had complained; the novelty of it all overpowered anything else. At least until the first few weeks had gone by, when the strong aroma of old shoes couldn't be ignored and Shikamaru had gone on a desperate run to find them a cure for the stiffness from sleeping in a tiny bed. Kakashi had scoffed until he saw their accommodations, and then wanted to know why they hadn't said something sooner.

But they'd been used to getting things secondhand and in crappy condition, whether it was instruments or venues. Back in the desperate days when they'd played basement clubs and dive bars, Sasuke had been inherently distrustful of anything that looked perfect.

_"Mind if I have a word with the four of you?" The man had appeared backstage as soon as their set had ended. Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba were packing up their amps and instruments as fast as possible. The manager of the club looked on, tapping his foot impatiently so the next act could get onstage. _

_"Who are you," Sasuke said skeptically, eyes narrowed. _

_ The guy smiled slightly, as if he was amused. It was hard to tell, considering he was wearing a bandana over his mouth. His hair was gray, but he looked young, probably in his early thirties. _

_ "I'm Kakashi Hatake. It's nice to meet all of you." He held out a hand, but even Naruto shook it doubtfully. Sasuke kept his hands on his guitar, but Kakashi didn't seem to be bothered by his lack of politeness. _

_ "What do you want with us?" Kiba asked. _

_ "I heard your set just now. And I'm interested in getting you a manager." _

_ "Tch." Sasuke didn't believe it for a second. _

_ Kiba raised his eyebrows. "Is this a joke?" _

_ Kakashi looked amused again. "It's not a joke, actually. I think you have some real talent. I scout a few places around here, and I'll admit that you guys are the first ones I've seen in a long time who I think show actual promise."_

_ Naruto was looking at the others, excited. Sasuke, however, was satisfied to see that Shikamaru also looked suspicious. _

_ "We don't even know who you are," Shikamaru said. _

_ "Of course. Good to know you have some skepticism." _

_ Sasuke frowned as Kakashi pulled out a business card and gave it to them. He wasn't like many other people Sasuke had seen scouting before. There was a type: slimy, old-trying-to-look-young, proposing sketchy record deals and management contracts. He got a vibe from Kakashi that was completely different. _

_ But he still didn't trust him. _

_ Shikamaru passed the card around to all of them. "Can't argue with it," he muttered to Sasuke, who shrugged, knowing Shikamaru was right. He was from Hidden Sound Records, one of the biggest rock labels. _

_ "What I'm proposing to do," Kakashi said, "is take you all out to lunch. I'll pay, because it looks like you four need it." He had a soft voice, but there was a sardonic note that Sasuke didn't miss._

_ Kiba's eyes narrowed, but he wasn't going to argue. None of them were about to turn down free food. Sasuke and Shikamaru exchanged a glance, and Sasuke thought Kakashi noticed the look. _

_ "And I'll tell you what I think I can get for you," Kakashi said. "It'll be in words that you understand, no loopholes or double meanings. I'll be completely honest. You can decide whether you want to accept it or not." _

_ "What's in it for you?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow. "If we accept, I mean." _

_ "Knowing that I've caught up what could be the next big thing," Kakashi said. "Talking seriously, I think you could make it big. Fast." _

_ The words stirred something in Sasuke that made him rethink his aversion to this. Music was much more important than any kind of fame, he'd always felt like that, but a deal like this could get them new instruments and the best recording equipment available. They were broke seventeen-year-olds with no prospects and no way out of dead-end dive bars that just wanted background music. _

_ "Fine," he said, answering for the rest of the band. _

_ Nothing would be the same after that. _

_Still, Sasuke didn't think he would ever forget what it felt like, five months later, to be standing behind the curtain at one of the biggest stages in the country. Before that day, he'd never felt that level of adrenaline and euphoria in his life. _

_ "Ladies and gentleman…FIRESTYLE!"_

* * *

Five years ahead of that moment, Sasuke didn't feel much as he waited for the curtain to drop at their opening concert. The crowd was deafening, particularly after getting pumped up by the opening groups, but three tours had prepared Sasuke for any pre-concert nerves. There was the excitement of playing new songs onstage, even Sasuke couldn't deny that, but he felt weirdly calm. Kiba had done a shot right before this, and Sasuke supposed he should've too. Being onstage, even without moving around, took a lot of energy. The first tour had been completely outside of Sasuke's comfort zone: they'd gone right to huge audiences, and without his careless façade, he would've had no idea how to deal with that.

Naruto clapped his back on the way to the drums. Thankfully they wouldn't be rising through the floor this time; apparently it was getting old. The stage was completely dark, and Sasuke heard 'five seconds' in the microphone in his ear.

A spotlight illuminated Naruto first, silhouetting him against the black background. Sasuke knew it would look cool, and wasn't surprised when the crowd screamed, and then screamed louder as one by one, three other spotlights shown on Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sasuke. The four of them were still for a moment, which seemed to cast a spell over the crowd. And then Sasuke played the first chord of their opener, and there was an explosion of sound.

"How're you all feeling?" Naruto yelled at the end of their first song, and received a roaring answer from the audience of thousands. He pumped a fist. "We've got brand new stuff for you tonight!" His voice echoed through the giant stadium. If anyone knew how to play a crowd, it was Naruto. "You won't forget this anytime soon!"

Shikamaru launched into the next song on the piano and immediately people started singing along with him.

* * *

"That crowd was fucking _electric_," Kiba said as soon as they were backstage after the show. He drained a water bottle in a few gulps and tossed it up in the air before collapsing onto a couch.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto punched him on the shoulder. "Come on, teme. You gotta admit they were awesome."

"Just as enthusiastic as ever," Shikamaru said. "It's our best album, so I'd hope so."

"Pretty sure the fans liked Untitled better," Kiba said, referring to their second album.

"The most generic songs were on that one," Sasuke said. "Of course they did." He was drenched in sweat from the heat of the lights and sheer exertion of being onstage for an hour and a half. Still, he couldn't help returning Naruto's grin. Hundreds of performances couldn't quite put out the spark completely.

* * *

**A/N: **_Guess what? I got plagiarized. If everyone could go over to wattpad and tell the user nalu_lovers to take down her plagiarized stories, that'd be a great help. She seems to be making a career of inserting Fairy Tale characters' names into completed Naruto fanfics and calling them her own. Commenting directly on her story Black and Blue would be particularly helpful, because it's my story Black (and Pink) and Blue. She blocked me, but spamming her stories and spreading the word is the best thing I can think of to do. Jfc people are assholes. _


	23. Missing You

Touring was becoming more of a grind than Sakura expected. Every show was different in its own way, and she loved that, but the process was exhausting. She fed on the crowd's energy, and she wasn't sure how she'd be able keep up the constant march from show to show without it.

_It's the ultimate first world problem_, she thought to herself, knowing how ridiculous it sounded to say that performing for adoring fans, getting a giant stage to herself, and having people at her beck and call every hour of the day made her want to sleep for a solid twelve hours straight every night. But that was the simple truth of it: performances used every ounce of the energy she had. They were amazing experiences, but they drained her.

Her days off were blessed experiences, because everyone left her to herself. It wasn't like the recording days, when they'd wanted her at a press event or photo shoot or in the studio whenever she had a moment to herself. Touring was her only job right now, and other than promotional obligations, in between shows she could generally do whatever she wanted.

They were checking off cities faster than Sakura had ever expected; twelve shows had already come and gone. Sakura felt herself getting better and better at connecting with thousands instead of hundreds. The key was treating them the same, or at least similarly. Her tour team might have limited the amount of talking she was allowed to do during the show, but she fit her own voice in here and there, and it seemed to be effective.

Sasuke was also well into his tour; Sakura had watched clips from a few of their shows. She missed him, and was glad her own shows overwhelmed any absence that dwelled in her mind. Your mind cleared when it was occupied with choreography and a huge crowd. After the comedown, in her bunk or sitting at the back of her bus, was when the lack of Sasuke's presence really affected her. Ino and other friends as well, but Sasuke had become her rock in the past few months. She'd learned to live without Ino's constant physical presence, but she'd come to depend on Sasuke's. At least she was making new connections, and Sakura told herself that would help. She was finally meeting more fans, not to mention the people on her tour staff and in her opening acts. They were all great, and she couldn't get over the energy that people had, citing her as inspiring.

The sexual frustration was real, too, which wasn't something that she'd expected to hit her so hard. She and Sasuke had developed regular habits, and the sudden loss of all of them was taxing mentally and, well, physically.

* * *

"You think the tour's going well so far, Kakashi?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Kakashi had intercepted the bus a few hours previously to see a few shows in person. He'd been with them most of the way for the first tour, but with every new album his presence continued to back off. It wasn't like they were his only clients, anyway.

The five of them were together on the bus, hurtling down the highway to make it to their next show on time.

"Yes, I'm happy. Two more shows and then next weekend will be a welcome break, I'm sure." He glanced down at his phone and then put it away.

"What's next weekend?" Naruto asked.

"A pit stop in Kiri for the gala. And ensuing debauchery."

"What gala is this, again?" Shikamaru took a sip of tea. It was his constant companion lately to prevent losing his voice from constant use. Considering the amount of shouting Naruto was doing, the two of them should've been sharing it, but Naruto seemed to think he was fine.

"The annual United Records gala. Several companies come together to host it, it's an excuse to put all their artists together and make some big headlines. And celebrate your work," Kakashi said dryly. "It's a tropical theme, which is why they're holding it on one of the Kiri islands. Apparently the guest list is _particularly_ high profile this year." Kakashi smirked.

Kiba was looking it up on his phone. "There's a whole part of the resort reserved for VIPs." He grinned.

"I hope there's no fence or anything," Naruto said, frowning.

Sasuke pulled out his phone immediately to see if Sakura was going. A text from her was already waiting for him, as if it was fate. **Are you going to be in Kiri next weekend?**

** Yeah. You? **

She responded immediately in the affirmative, and Sasuke could already feel his spirits lifting at the prospect. Five weeks had felt like months.

* * *

When they arrived in Kiri the following Friday afternoon, it was evident that whoever had planned the event had really pulled out all the stops. Their limo pulled up to gates leading into whatever resort had been rented out. Paparazzi were lined up outside, desperate for shots of people going in. Sasuke had no idea who else was going to be here. Reading an email that had been sent to them, Kakashi described (with a sardonic smile) that there was an informal afternoon reception happening now, with the actual party to follow later that night. They were required to spend time at both events.

"I'll leave you all alone tonight and go off with the other adults," Kakashi said as the limo pulled to a stop. "I hope I don't see any pictures or articles about any of you in the news tomorrow morning."

"What are you expecting?" Shikamaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I think all of you know fully well what happens when entitled celebrities are brought together into a small area with a lot of alcohol. Especially a resort like this."

"You calling us entitled, Kakashi?" Kiba asked.

Kakashi just shook his head with a slight smile. "I'm saying I expect you all to be responsible. I'm obligated to give this same speech to all my clients, you know." He opened his door first. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy yourselves." He left the limo and was immediately picked up by another car.

"I still don't get how he's so smooth," Kiba said, shaking his head.

At a signal from someone standing outside, the four of them got out of the limo and were directed to their rooms. They had been assigned their own cabanas alongside the resort's beachfront. "Classy motel style," Shikamaru said, amused. The band had been given two, but Sasuke wasn't expecting to stay in either one. Assuming Sakura arrived, anyway. It was past four already, and there was no sign of her. She'd promised to text as she got there, and her management would probably do anything to make sure she wasn't late.

"C'mon, teme, they've got an awesome swimming pool!" Naruto, ever the eight-year-old at heart, was practically jumping up and down. "You've got a bathing suit, don't you?"

"Aa." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Let's go, then!"

They changed, and a wary Sasuke followed Naruto down into the throng of people on the sand. There were servers with cocktails moving through the crowd. He recognized a few faces, and their appearance was getting a strong reaction from many more bystanders. People parted for him and Naruto. Sasuke didn't make eye contact with anyone, not wanting to get roped into a conversation. Eventually Naruto spotted Kiba in one of the hot tubs. Naruto joined him immediately, and then beckoned to Sasuke, who slid into the hot tub reluctantly. Naruto had already struck up a conversation with the other people in the water, who Sasuke vaguely recognized as a few members from another rock group. He responded to a few questions, not really paying attention to the conversation. He continued to scan the people walking past them. No pink hair.

"What'd you think about it?"

Sasuke realized Naruto was staring at him expectantly. "What?"

Naruto snorted. "He's off in his own world. The new arena in Taki! What'd you think of it?"

"Acoustics were good," Sasuke said after a moment, thinking about it. "Could've used more..." He realized that the eyes of everyone in the hot tub, including Naruto, had moved to a spot directly in front of Sasuke, at the edge of the hot tub.

"Hope I didn't miss anything," Sakura said.

Sasuke looked up at her. She wore a cream-colored cover up dress, and sunglasses were perched on her forehead. Her hair was loose and wavy.

"Sakura!" Naruto said. "I was hoping you'd be here!"

"Hi, Naruto," she said with a grin, breaking the illusion of aloofness. She walked around so she'd be next to the two of them. In one movement she pulled off her dress to reveal a black bikini, and slid into the hot tub next to Sasuke. She gave him a smile that was decidedly not innocent.

He wanted to get out of this hot tub and find somewhere private. Preferably with a bed.

But they were required to be here, so he settled with wrapping an arm around her shoulders. However, Sakura apparently had other plans, and vaguely Sasuke wondered if she'd been drinking when she leaned in and pressed her lips to his, her hands on his bare chest under the water. He responded enthusiastically, feeling the heat of the water flow up into his face.

Sakura pulled away for a moment and grinned at him. "I've been waiting to do that."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn." God, he couldn't resist her. He glanced away from Sakura and realized that they were the only ones in the hot tub. Naruto had shooed everyone else away, drawing attention to them from everyone standing around with drinks in their hand. They all looked away when they knew they'd been spotted. "Jesus," Sasuke muttered. A few people were laughing. The two of them had never done something like this in public except the kiss at the awards show, and that had been planned. They shouldn't have done it here. He cursed the fact that they'd been apart so long. He shouldn't let hormones get the better of him.

Sasuke stood up. "Let's go."

Sakura nodded, stepping out of the hot tub and smiling at the group of people turned their way. She pulled on her dress and smoothed the front down.

"Have you been drinking?" Sasuke asked her, suddenly suspicious.

"I did a shot," she said. At his raised eyebrows, she rolled her eyes. "That's it, just one. I'm fine. They told me to loosen up a little, and I figured it's a good night to relax, you know?"

"_Who_ told you to loosen up a little?"

"Orochimaru. You know. Just tonight."

Sasuke frowned. What the hell was Orochimaru's strategy? He'd succeeded in making her a pop princess (in tiny skirts instead of ball gowns), but now they were encouraging her to be wild or something. _Or just wild enough not to be a good girl_, he thought.

"Anyway, where's _your_ fancy cabana?"

Sasuke gestured down the beach. "Sharing with Naruto. You?"

"Just me. They're actually letting me alone all night. Want to go?"

"Aa. I'll just get my stuff. Wait here?"

She nodded, and Sasuke went to grab his clothes, anticipating that he wouldn't be be going back to his room any other time tonight. Sakura was waiting for him where he'd left her, deep in conversation with someone. Sasuke envied her easy confidence talking to peoplè. She said goodbye to whoever she was talking to as soon as he appeared and grabbed Sasuke's hand. They slipped off the brightly lit path. Sakura led him down the dark sand, and they froze in the darkness to avoid a group of people coming down from another room. Sasuke felt like a spotlight was going to expose them at any moment. There were too many cameras around.

But they reached Sakura's room with no interruptions, and she locked the door once they were inside, sighing happily.

"So how've you been?" she asked him, grinning.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "How do you think."

"I don't know, maybe you turn into a different person on tour." She grinned.

"Tch. Right." Sakura was pulling off her dress again. "What are you doing," Sasuke said, eyes narrowed slightly.

"We've got two hours until we have to be at the party," Sakura said, a mischievous smile spreading over her lips.

"Tch." Sasuke started to smirk, and then he pulled off his own shirt.

Suddenly Sakura was in his arms, pressing her body against his. Sasuke felt fire shoot through his body.

"I missed you," Sakura breathed in his ear. It was like they couldn't get close enough.

"Hn. Missed you too." He said, bending his head toward her. She met his lips with hers, putting pressure into the kiss immediately. He slid his arm tighter around her bare waist and she shivered happily.

"You cold?" he asked.

"Course not," she whispered. They were right up against the bed, but Sakura used his shoulders and the bed frame to pull herself up and wrap her legs around his thighs. Her hair tickled his bare shoulder blades, and she cupped his face in her hands to kiss him harder. Her hands slipped back into his hair, digging in at the roots. Sasuke let go of her legs and they fell onto the bed together. Sakura pushed her hair out of her face, grinning, and then sat up and straddled Sasuke's legs. His back pressed into the bed and she moved up toward his waist, leaning over his chest and kissing him, her legs locked around his hips. He could feel the muscles in her thighs.

He reached farther up her thigh until his hand was under her bathing suit. Sakura inhaled sharply. "_Fuck_," she said, her legs tightening and then loosening around Sasuke's waist. He pushed her back and then rolled them so she was below him. She smirked and slid her hands under the waistband of his bathing suit. He moved fast and kissed her roughly, moving down to her neck. Sakura arched her back when he got down to her collarbone. They'd never crawled all over each other quite like this before, but Sasuke couldn't say he didn't like it.

"This is long overdue," Sakura said her voice barely more than a whisper, and she pushed on his chest so he'd fall back below her again.

* * *

"We should probably get ready to go now." Sakura looked up at him. Her hair was a mass of tangles and her makeup had been smeared off. They'd been lying in bed for the past half hour; Sasuke was a few minutes from drifting off completely, his arm around her.

"Aa." Sasuke didn't make an effort to move.

"Too tired to go out now?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You wish."

"I do, actually." She scooted away from him and got up, grabbing the bag hanging on the back of the room door before disappearing into the bathroom.

"Me too," Sasuke muttered, and then went to rummage for his nicer clothes.

Sakura came out twenty minutes later wearing a fresh coat of makeup and a flowing blue dress. Only the hint of a flush in her cheeks and the look in her eyes gave away what they'd been doing.

"Ready to go?" she asked, eyeing his button-down and tie and grinning.

"Tch. Yeah," Sasuke said. Sakura hooked her arm around his and they walked back to the party, sticking to the path this time.

* * *

**A/N: **_That wattpad user__ took the story down, so hopefully there won't be a plagiarism problem in the future. Thanks for the support. Also, happy 2017; hoping it'll be a better year (though I have doubts). _


	24. Fly Before You Fall

There was a huge crowd milling around on the sand and around elaborate fire pits. Sasuke and Sakura were offered glasses of champagne by a waiter as soon as they entered the fray. Sakura supposed this was the height of the celebrity industry; being plied with alcohol at lavish parties on the beach while photographers tried to get good pictures from behind a barrier two hundred feet away. _Wow, you sound awful right now. _She put it down to her deep desire just to go back to her room and sleep next to Sasuke.

It was kind of amazing to be here, though. Sakura hadn't ever really thought she'd be an accepted member of this circle, but people had been coming up to her enthusiastically since she'd arrived.

"I'm thirsty for anything other than alcohol," Sakura said, setting down her wine glass. Her throat was dry.

"Me too. I'll go find plain water," Sasuke said.

He'd barely disappeared before Naruto came up to her with a red-haired guy who Sakura recognized immediately as Gaara Sabaku,

"Sakura, this is Gaara," Naruto said.

"It's nice to meet you," Gaara said, nodding politely. "Your debut album was impressive."

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you, too. I've been listening to your stuff for years."

Gaara smiled. "That's flattering."

"Are your brother and sister here, too?"

"No, unfortunately." Gaara didn't offer any more of an explanation until Naruto coughed. "We agreed to split up. They're attending an important meeting. I can't say I'm glad I agreed to come here instead. Parties aren't exactly my favorite thing, which is probably clear."

"I'm surprised you came at all! I thought it was mostly pop people here!" Naruto looked around as if expecting to see another hard rock band.

"I believe it is," Gaara said mildly. He nodded to Sakura. "It's getting a little wild for my taste, actually. I think I might step out. It was a pleasure meeting you, though, Sakura."

"You too," Sakura said with a smile.

"Aw come on, one drink?" Naruto grinned at Gaara. "The bar's not in the middle of the crowd."

Gaara sighed and looked almost amused. "Alright."

"Yes! Want to join, Sakura?"

"No, I should wait for Sasuke, he'll be back in a minute."

"Okay. See you later!"

Someone tapped Sakura on the shoulder and she turned to find Sasuke, who gave her a glass of water. "Had to skirt around a mess. Someone's up dancing on a table."

"Oh, no." She took a sip. "I just met Gaara Sabaku."

"Gaara's here?" Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. I didn't know he and Naruto were such good friends," Sakura said.

Sasuke shrugged. "We met them a while back, the three of them are good musicians. And Naruto loves making friends, obviously."

"He's good at making people feel comfortable," Sakura said thoughtfully.

* * *

"Sakura Haruno! Oh my God, hi!" Some girl with dyed purple hair was practically bouncing up and down.

"Hi!" Sakura said. "How are you?"

"So good, now that I've seen you! How's your tour going?"

"Great! I'm having an amazing time, it really is a dream come true."

"I'm so happy for you! Oh, I have to run, my publicist is calling!" She pulled out her phone and slid past Sasuke, putting a hand on his arm with a smile.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, raising her eyebrows. "Friend of yours?" Sasuke asked.

"I actually…Don't know who that was?" Sakura bit her lip. "Is that awful?"

Sasuke shrugged. "No. Didn't show, that's the important thing." This business was all about bullshitting it.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked around to find Kakashi standing behind him. "Sasuke, Sakura. Having a nice evening?"

"Thought you weren't getting involved with all of this," Sasuke said.

"Occasionally I can't resist. I'm not _too_ old," Kakashi said, looking amused. "How are you, Sakura?"

Sakura's mouth twitched, on the verge of laughter. "I'm doing well, thanks. It's good to see you again, Kakashi."

"And you too, of course. I've been hearing great things about your tour."

"Oh, that's nice of you to say." She smiled. Sasuke almost rolled his eyes at her modesty.

"I said it because I'm sure it's true," Kakashi said. "Soon you'll be selling out bigger stadiums than this one." He jerked his thumb at Sasuke.

"Well, that's the hope," Sakura said, grinning. "It's a good thing we're not in direct competition."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kakashi said. "Sasuke's army of preteen girls used to be about as big as yours."

Sasuke shot a glare at him, and Sakura laughed. "I'm glad of that, actually. Firestyle brought rock back into the mainstream."

"I'll drink to that," Kakashi said, holding up his glass of champagne. "So what's the plan for you in the fall?"

"Back to the studio, I think," Sakura said. "I'm hoping for a few days off, too. Parties are great, but…"

"We can only take so much enthusiasm," Kakashi said, smiling.

"Yeah," Sakura said, amused. "No one likes to admit it, though."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Got it in one. I'm going to go check on some of my other charges. Enjoy the night." He smiled mischievously.

"You too," Sakura said with a laugh. Sasuke would never admit it, but he envied her easy confidence talking to people. "He's great," she said fondly to Sasuke.

"Tch. He can be a pain."

She rolled her eyes. "The good kind."

"Does that exist?"

"Did we not just prove it does a few hours ago?" She raised an eyebrow and Sasuke coughed. "Ugh. Pretend I never said that, please."

"I will."

The two of them grinned and she reached out for his hand. "How much longer is this supposed to last? It's a mess, I feel bad for the people that have to clean up." Cups and other trash had been strewn all over the ground.

"People'll be out until dawn, probably," Sasuke said. "It's always like this."

"I kind of want to leave soon," Sakura said. "I know it's ungrateful or whatever, but…"

"It's not," Sasuke said immediately.

"Let's give it another half hour and then sneak away," Sakura said, eyes shining.

"It'll be hard to avoid the paparazzi," Sasuke muttered. "They're everywhere."

"Well, I think we're up to the challenge." She grinned at him, and Sasuke couldn't help returning it.

* * *

Sakura woke up groggy and thirsty. She hadn't drunk that much, had she? Just two shots and a glass of wine. But combined with five hours of sleep, the results obviously weren't ideal. Her phone alarm sounded loudly and she jumped. "Crap," she said, sitting up.

Sasuke rolled toward her. "What?" His eyes were barely open, and his voice was hoarse. God, she loved the way it sounded.

"I have to go to a meeting in twenty minutes. And as soon as it's over I go back on the road again." Their brief respite together had ended.

Sasuke sighed and opened his eyes fully, looking up at her. Sakura hadn't really realized it before, but morning Sasuke, his face clear of a frown or a smirk, looked almost vulnerable. "Jesus," he said, sitting up, and his face resumed its normal protection.

"I know." She ran a hand through her hair. "This wasn't nearly long enough, was it?"

"Hn." His grunt said it all.

Sakura swung her legs out of the bed and made herself get dressed, brush her hair, and put on some makeup. When she came back into the bedroom, Sasuke was pulling on jeans. Sakura knew she should go now if she wanted to be early. She shoved all of her stuff into her suitcase and yanked the zipper shut. Sasuke handed her the sandals that had been under the bed and she pulled them on. He stood up and she faced him, hesitant for a second. He leaned toward her and she allowed herself a five second kiss before breaking apart. "I have to go. See you…Soon?" She had no idea how long it would be. At least another month, probably.

Sasuke nodded. "Good luck." His face was expressionless. She left before she was tempted to jump back in the bed and stay there.

Sakura practically ran up the path to the main hotel, where she had a meeting with Orochimaru and a bunch of people from the label. Someone was waiting in the lobby to take her up to a conference room. Sakura couldn't help feeling slightly nervous, and she entered the room with a mounting sense of apprehension.

"Ah, there she is," Orochimaru said.

"Sorry, am I late?" Sakura had been sure he'd said eleven, but the room was full, and there were papers spread out on the table as if the group was already in the middle of a discussion.

"Oh, you're right on time. We just met up slightly earlier to talk about a few things. Logistical details, nothing for you to worry about."

"Oh. Okay." Sakura took the only empty seat at the table.

"So, this meeting is just a place for us to finalize some of our strategies," Orochimaru said. "Particularly regarding the recording process for the second album."

"I'll have some songwriting time, right?" Sakura asked, looking around at the record label representatives as well as Orochimaru. "With the tour I don't have much time for working on new stuff right now."

"Of course, of course," Orochimaru said. "We'll be recording as we go along, too. I think we'll have this one out in record time. Pardon the pun."

"We want to capitalize on the success of this year, have a new single out as soon as the buzz around Forward has died down," one of the label people said.

_It's all a business deal_, Sakura thought. The pit in her stomach was becoming bigger and bigger.

"And we're thinking of trying some more electronic styles," Orochimaru said. "It'll be an exciting new direction."

"Sorry, but what does that mean?" Sakura frowned between him and the other people around the table.

"You know. We've got a couple dance hits on this record, but we want to try for more. It'll up the edginess of your sound. Imagine synthesizers, higher production value. Guitar's been done before, we want to create something new."

"That's…That's a really different direction from what I imagined, though," Sakura said. "Guitar might have been done before, but there are plenty of people doing EDM-inspired stuff. I thought my style was new."

Orochimaru gave her a smile that Sakura could only describe as simpering. "We're doing what's best for your musical future, Sakura, I promise. You trust our experience, I hope?"

Sakura felt completely backed into a corner. If she argued, she would just be a spoiled, entitled singer. Maybe Orochimaru was right, anyway. "I—Yeah."

"Excellent. We're enlisting the help of some of the top producers in the industry, thanks to the success of the first album. I'm extremely excited for the recording process, and I'm not even the artist here." A few people around the room tittered.

Sakura returned Orochimaru's smile, but not without effort. "Me too."

"Alright. We'll have a September start date and then work into November. Production should turn it around fast, so we can probably expect a February release date. Material's already being worked on."

Sakura didn't even know how to begin arguing with that, so she said nothing. It was clear the break she'd been anticipating wasn't going to happen. The thought of this sped-up schedule made her want to throw up.

"So, the final item on our agenda: Sasuke Uchiha."

"What?" Sakura's voice was so loud, a few people started. "I don't see how my private life is relevant."

Orochimaru showed her his phone, which was open to a photo that had been posted online. It was a blurry shot of her and Sasuke's kiss in the hot tub. Sakura felt her face turn bright red. "Unfortunately, the fact that your private life involves Sasuke Uchiha means it's not private. But don't worry, I just wanted to say that it's only doing good things for you. The buzz exploded back in the winter, and the relationship has only served to bridge the demographics between Sakura and Firestyle's audience. Last night's events will only feed the fire. In a good way, of course."

Looking at the nodding heads around the table, Sakura felt like this shouldn't be real. "Um, great," she said, almost amused despite the sheer ridiculousness of this.

"So there's nothing public we should spread," said a woman who Sakura thought was on her publicity team (what did it mean that she didn't know people's names anymore?).

"I don't believe so," Orochimaru said with a smile.

"No engagement, no nothing?"

"No, that ties her down. We're selling achievable standards here."

Sakura looked between them, furious. "I'm sorry. Are you serious?"

"It's all about publicity, Sakura," Orochimaru said.

"An _engagement_?"

"If sales were flagging, it would boost your name. Obviously a hypothetical, considering your album has done extraordinary things for Cobra Records," one of the record label people said.

"Yes, popularity is not a worry right now," Orochimaru said, smiling. "This year has been one of my proudest successes."

"You're talking about an engagement as a publicity stunt?" Sakura asked, raising her eyebrows. "Is that really something you'd do?"

"Not without consulting Sasuke Uchiha's publicity team," Orochimaru said. "But put it out of your mind, Sakura. It's not something that'll be at all relevant in the immediate future. Or the long-term future, the way you're going." His smile was clearly supposed to be reassuring, but Sakura could feel her stomach sinking to the floor.

"So that's everything, then. We'll start setting up recording details for September," one of the record people said.

"Lovely," Orochimaru said. He checked his phone. "Perfect timing, because we need to be on the road."

"Good luck with tomorrow's show," someone said to Sakura, and she managed a thank you to them and the rest of the room.

* * *

Back the bus later that day, Sakura lay in her bunk, curtains shut. She felt like she had no control of her life. Did Sasuke feel like this? He never mentioned meetings that had gone like this; she knew for a fact that the band had full control over their own sound. Sakura tried to tell herself that it was just because she was new to the industry, but deep down she knew there was no end of the tunnel here. She was a girl, and in the pop world, which meant that she'd been shaped to hold up an unattainable and yet somehow achievable standard for girls. She'd never wanted to be complicit in the machine, but here she was. She'd saddled herself with a manager who would see to it that she became that machine's reigning queen, controlled by a team who would have no qualms about steering her music where it needed to go in order to consistently top charts.

_And if that doesn't work, there's always fake relationships_, she thought, feeling nearly hysterical. Orochimaru could probably make her break up with Sasuke. What had actually been in the contract she'd signed? How much personal control did he have over her?

The lights and the crowds had masked truths that she'd hidden from herself. She'd thought she'd been wise about the things that came with fame, but she'd been naïve as every other girl with dreams of singing on a huge stage. This meeting had shone a blindingly bright light on it all. Appearance, clothes, what she was allowed to say in public, and now the entire music process.

Sakura felt like the world was spinning around her, and she needed to talk to Sasuke.


	25. Misery Business

"Do you have time to talk right now?"

Sasuke could tell immediately that something was wrong. "Yeah." He jumped off the couch and left the bus without a second thought, walking a safe distance away. They were parked near the venue for that night's show in an area closed off from the public parking lot. "What's up?"

"I just…I had that meeting yesterday with Orochimaru and some record company people, and I…" She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"What happened, Sakura?"

"I'm just completely overwhelmed, Sasuke! They're putting me back in the studio as soon as I get back from the tour, and I won't be writing my own stuff, they're bringing in some producers and they want to get another album out as soon as possible, and they want to change my style to something more electronic and I don't have a say in it and then they brought _you_ up, talking about how it could be a publicity thing if my sales fell—"

"Slow down," Sasuke said. "Breathe, okay?"

"Yeah. God, sorry, I just felt like I had to get everything out, I've been holding it in for the past day."

"It's fine. Just trying to understand what happened." Sasuke didn't know how his voice was so calm. He was boiling as he went over Sakura's words in his head.

"Well, everything that I was too naïve to believe would actually happen is happening. Including potential manipulation of our relationship status?"

"What do you mean."

"Never mind. I just…I don't know what to do, anymore, Sasuke. And I don't want to dump this on you, but I feel really—I feel trapped."

"Aa." Sasuke's stomach was a pit of anger.

"Do I even deserve to be complaining? It's self-centered. I have everything I ever could've wanted. Orochimaru gave me a record deal and an album I'm proud of and an amazing tour. Maybe the rest of it is an obligation. I can't help thinking of all the people who'd kill to be where I am right now. So what if people take production control? I still have creative license."

"Listen to yourself, Sakura," Sasuke said. "Are you fucking kidding me? Your manager's a sociopath. No one would kill to be where you are."

"I just feel so _stupid_," she said, tears clogging up her voice. "I should've known better."

"Anyone would've done the same thing in your place," Sasuke said. "No one knows better when they don't have real experience. This industry's a hellhole. I got lucky." No matter how much he felt dragged down by the music industry and fame, Sasuke knew that was true. Kakashi had saved their lives, and given them the best experience possible.

Sakura made a noncommittal sound in response.

After a pause, Sasuke asked, "How'd you even end up with Orochimaru, anyway?"

She sighed, sounding slightly calmer. "I was sending out demos to anyone who would accept them. Orochimaru was one of the people who got one, and he came to see me play in Konoha. He offered me the deal with him as my manager. I accepted pretty much right away, I mean it seemed too good to be true. Manager and a record deal in one contract. That was how I ended up on Cobra, even if it wasn't exactly known for my kind of stuff." Cobra Records signed primarily rap and hip-hop artists. "I wasn't sure about being famous, and all of that, but I needed the money and I wanted to get my music out there. I mean, I love when people talk to me about how much they like my stuff, and relate to it. Just getting that feedback makes it all worth it. And I figured it would be a lot of that. I'd be performing all over, and I'd have access to so much more. I knew what I was getting into, but I think the whole idea of fame was also sort of mesmerizing. Anyway, we recorded the first album and _boom_. Everything happened so fast."

"Hn." Sasuke could relate to that. He watched a truck pull up to the venue. God, he was an idiot.

"And I don't regret the fame, I just didn't think it would be like this. Like puppetry."

"It doesn't have to be like this. Why don't you get a contract with someone else?"

"I can't. I'm under contract with Orochimaru. Five years, and he was the one who signed me for a record deal. Three albums. I can't just sign on with someone else."

"Terminate the contract."

"Yeah, that's easy to say but impossible to do," Sakura said. "I'm under his management, and there's no way to change it without breaking a ton of laws."

Sasuke glared into space. "There has to be a way."

"Trust me, I've been looking," Sakura said. "The only way is to sue, and it's not like he's really done anything to me."

Sasuke frowned. "I'm going to ask Kakashi."

"No, don't get him involved," Sakura said immediately.

"It's not a problem."

"Really?"

"No." He was firm.

"Okay." There was a pause. "I have to go, I have prep for my show tonight."

"Aa. I'll call you soon."

"Thanks. Sorry."

"Don't apologize." _I should be the one apologizing._

They hung up, and Sasuke trudged back to the bus. He felt incredibly guilty; he'd never questioned Orochimaru's treatment of Sakura. Sure, he hadn't approved of it, but he'd blamed the industry and never thought to look deeper.

* * *

"Is there any way for someone to switch management?" It was later that night, and Sasuke and Kakashi were the only ones on the bus. The rest of the band had gone out for drinks after the show.

"Are you guys really that upset with me?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow but Sasuke could tell that he was smirking.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "No. It's Sakura."

Kakashi's eyebrows went up slightly in surprise. "Who's she with now, Orochimaru?"

"Aa."

"Hm. Not from someone like him. Especially if she doesn't have someone else lined up. That's the only way it'd be possible, but even then…"

"You mean there's a chance that she could do it?"

"I don't know for sure." Kakashi looked thoughtful. "Does she have someone in mind? Even if it was a bad falling out with Orochimaru, someone like Sakura Haruno…she could swing some tough deals. She's in demand."

"No. She doesn't have anyone in mind. But I thought…You."

Kakashi chuckled. "Since when was it my client's job to get new clients for me?"

Sasuke glared at him. "You like her," he said accusingly.

Kakashi just looked at him, amused. "Music contracts are serious agreements, Sasuke."

"You talk to me like I'm a kid," Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"There's a reason for that," Kakashi said, smiling an infuriating smile. "You're only twenty-two, you know."

Sasuke hissed out a breath through his teeth.

"You're right, I like her. But I can't take on someone like Sakura Haruno right now. She's on the same level as you four, and unfortunately I don't have super powers. I like to sleep occasionally."

"She can't stay with Orochimaru," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. If Kakashi couldn't help, he didn't know what to do.

Kakashi frowned. "Hold on. I didn't say I couldn't do anything."

"You just said you can't take her on."

"_I_ can't. But I may know someone who can." Kakashi was on the edge of a smile. "I'll see what I can do. This will be interesting."

Sasuke just frowned at him. He wasn't completely sure what was going on.

"You can trust me here, Sasuke. The person I'm thinking of is an old friend, of sorts. She's probably the only person who'll be able to work out the mess that this will cause. And definitely someone Sakura would want on her side."

"Okay," Sasuke said, frowning. He figured he just had to trust Kakashi. "Thanks."

Kakashi just smirked. "Thank me if this works out. Now, go join up with the rest of the band."

"Are you coming? I thought you were meeting us for dinner."

I've got a lot of calls to make," Kakashi said. "Looks like we'll have to put it off for now."

* * *

It took several emails and phone calls to finally get a number where he could reach her.

"You were extremely hard to get hold of," Kakashi said.

"There's a reason for that," Tsunade Senju said, her voice wry but vaguely exasperated. "What do you want, Kakashi? It better be good. You went through a lot of people to get to me."

It was always best to cut to the chase with Tsunade. "I want you to take on management for Sakura Haruno."

There was a pause. "What?" He could hear her frown.

"Sakura Haruno. I want you to—"

"I heard you the first time," Tsunade said sharply. "Where is this coming from? You know how I feel about taking on new clients."  
"Tsunade, Sakura Haruno is—"

"She's big. Yes, I know. Popular, for a little pixie."

"She's smart," Kakashi said, amused by her summary of Sakura. Though Sasuke's face during their conversation the previous week had given Kakashi the strong suspicion that Sakura was on the verge of a crash. He'd never seen the kid so stricken. _Thank God for Sakura Haruno_, he thought, not for the first time. Kakashi was fairly sure she'd saved Sasuke, even if neither of them knew that.

"Oh, right, I suppose you know that since you manage the boy," Tsunade said dryly. "The coverage of that is sickening."

"She's extremely talented, too," Kakashi said.

"I don't care how talented she is," Tsunade said, sounding irritated. "Let's say she has potential, that's fine. But I'm not getting back into that circus. You know how much I despise the business, Kakashi."

"You despise the business because you hated your clients. Or at least most of them."

"Exactly. I'm happy where I am now."

"No you're not." Kakashi was smirking. "You're bored out of your mind, aren't you?"

There was a pause. "There's less drama now. So much nicer to deal with."

"Give me a break, Tsunade. You love drama."

"Oh, go fuck yourself, Kakashi," Tsunade said brusquely.

"You really are too predictable."

"I thought that was a clear dismissal, but apparently I'm wrong. Do you have something else to bother me with?"

Well, there was nothing else for it. "Look, she's under Orochimaru right now."

A longer pause, and then: "…Damn it. _Damn_ it," Tsunade said quietly. "Fine," she bit out, loud and angry. "I swore I'd never…_God_. Of _course_ it's Orochimaru." Kakashi heard her slamming things around, and he grinned.

"So, what do you say? Want to get back in the game?"

"I don't have a choice, do I? I can't leave her with that snake." Tsunade sighed. "That's why you're pushing this so hard, isn't it? Because I'm the only one who can get her out."

"You've been dying for something like this. Don't deny it."

"Dying to deal with Orochimaru? I don't think so. I hate that bastard." She was practically gnashing her teeth.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Alright, fine. God damn it, how do you always know what I need?"

"Because it's always been that way with you. Retirement's never going to suit you, Tsunade."

"…Just send me the contact information for this girl. She'd better be as great as you say." Tsunade sighed tiredly. "You owe me."

"One day you'll thank me for this."

"Do me a favor and shut up." She hung up, and Kakashi smiled. That had been easier than expected. Tsunade had definitely known who Sakura Haruno was, and she liked her. Though the promise of a battle with Orochimaru had probably been the final straw, it would've taken more than that to sway her. In this case, Kakashi thought it was all Sakura's doing (and obviously unintentional on her part, like with everyone else she came into contact with). Tsunade was paying attention, no matter what she said.

* * *

**A/N: **_College can get a bit hectic, hence the lag time between chapters. _


End file.
